THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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READING: 
HOW  TO   TEACH   IT. 


GIKI,  KKADI.M;. 


Reading : 
How  To  Teach   It 


By 

Sarah  Louise  Arnold 

Supervisor  of  Schools,  Boston,  Mass.,  and  author  of 

"  Stepping  Stones  to  Literature,"  "  Waymarks 

for  Teachers,"  etc. 


Silver,  Burdett  and  Company 
Boston       New  York      Chicago 


Copyright,  1899 

BY 
SILVER,  BURDETT  AND  COMPANY 


Education 
Library 


GREETING. 

The  teacher  of  children  must  know  how  to 
guide  her  work  so  that  the  seemingly  trivial 
beginnings  shall  tend  toward  a  goal  whose  at- 
tainment is  worth  striving  for.  Hers  is  a 
day  of  small  things.  The  child  does  not  see 
the  end  from  the  beginning,  but  the  teacher 
must,  and  the  constant  recognition  of  the  de- 
sired object  must  influence  her  simplest  lesson. 

These  pages  are  written  in  the  hope  of  help- 
ing teachers  to  appreciate  the  true  import  of 
the  familiar  task.  They  attempt  to  interpret 
and  to  dignify  the  commonplace  routine.  They 
have  grown  out  of  thoughtful  experience,  and 
are  sent  forth  with  good  will,  to  their  service. 

SARAH  LOUISE  ARNOLD. 

Boston,  Mass., 
July,  1899. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PACK 

I.  WHY  Do  WE  READ  ?      .        .        .      9 
II.  LITERATURE  IN  THE  SCHOOL-ROOM  .    25 

III.  LEARNING  TO  READ         .  .45 

IV.  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  LESSON   .        .    87 
V.  LANGUAGE  LESSONS  AS  A  PREPARA- 
TION FOR  READING  LESSONS       .  105 

VI.  EXPRESSION  IN  READING        .  .117 

VII.  LESSONS    TO    SUGGEST   PLANS  OF 

WORK 139 

VIII.  LESSONS    TO   SUGGEST    PLANS  OF 

WORK— CONTINUED       .       .  .157 

IX.  THE  STUDY  OF  PICTURES        .  .185 

X.  HINTS  FOR  READING  LESSONS  .  199 

XI.  THE  USE  OF  THE  LIBRARY     .  .  223 

XII.  A  LIST  OF  BOOKS     .       .        .  .251 

XIII.  A  LIST  OF  POEMS     .       .       .  .273 


Consider  what  you  have  in  the  smallest 
chosen  library.  A  company  of  the  wisest  and 
wittiest  men  that  could  be  picked  out  of  all  civil 
countries,  in  a  thousand  years,  have  set  in  best 
order  the  results  of  their  learning  and  wisdom. 
The  men  themselves  were  hidden  and  inacces- 
sible, solitary,  impatient  of  interruption, fenced 
by  etiquette ;  but  the  thought  that  they  did  not 
uncover  to  their  bosom  friend  is  here  written 
out  in  transparent  words  to  us,  the  strangers 
of  another  age.  We  owe  to  books  those  general 
benefits  which  come  from  high  intellectual  ac- 
tion. Thus,  I  think,  we  often  owe  to  them  the 
Perception  of  immortality.  They  impart  sym- 
pathetic activity  to  the  moral  power.  Go  with 
mean  people,  and  you  think  life  is  mean.  Then 
read  Plutarch,  and  the  world  is  a  proud 
place,  peopled  with  men  of  positive  quality, 
with  heroes  and  demi-gods  standing  around 
us,  who  will  not  let  us  sleep.  Then  they  ad- 
dress the  imagination  :  only  poetry  inspires 
poetry.  They  become  the  organic  culture  of 
the  time.  College  education  is  the  reading  of 
certain  books  which  the  common  sense  of  all 
scholars  agrees  will  represent  the  science  al- 
ready accumulated.  In  the  highest  civiliza- 
tion, the  book  is  still  the  highest  delight. 

RALPH  WALDO  EMERSON. 


READING: 
HOW  TO  TEACH   IT. 

CHAPTER   I. 

WHY   DO   WE   READ  ? 

THE  power  to  read  is  so  ordinary  a 
part  of  our  mental  equipment  that 
we  rarely  question  its  meaning  or  its  ori- 
gin. All  common  things  pass  us  unchal- 
lenged, however  marvellous  they  may 
be.  We  take  little  note  of  our  sunrises 
and  sunsets,  the  hill  range  which  we  see 
every  day  from  our  window,  the  clear 
air  which  infuses  new  energies  into  our 
lives  with  every  new  morning.  Com- 
mon institutions,  however  precious — the 


io     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

home,  the  school,  the  church,  the  state — 
are  received  by  us  as  a  matter  of  course, 
just  as  children  receive  without  surprise 
the  most  valuable  gifts  from  the  hands 
of  their  friends.  We  need  not  marvel, 
then,  that  this  power,  which  has  so  long 
been  a  part  of  ourselves,  should  remain 
unquestioned,  or  that  we  learn  to  read 
without  giving  a  thought  to  the  motive 
which  impels  us  to  learn.  It  may  be 
well  for  even  the  most  thoughtful  among 
us  to  pause  for  a  moment  to  question 
why  everybody  learns  to  read ;  to  pon- 
der the  returns  from  the  effort,  the  time, 
and  the  pains  spent  in  the  mastery  of 
the  art. 

It  is  evident  that  our  estimate  of  the 
value  of  reading  will  depend  upon  our 
kind  of  reading  ;  or,  in  other  words,  the 
kind  of  knowledge  which  we  gain  from 
reading.  For  example,  you  and  I  may 
turn  to  the  daily  newspaper  for  a  certain 


Why  Do  We  Read  ?          1 1 

knowledge  to  direct  our  everyday  plans. 
We  wish  to  go  to  the  city  on  the  mor- 
row:— this  evening's  paper  warns  us  of 
an  approaching  rain ;  we  therefore  pro- 
vide ourselves  with  an  umbrella  before 
starting  on  our  journey.  Or  we  desire 
to  hear  Nansen's  lecture: — the  news- 
paper apprises  us  of  the  time,  the  place, 
the  subject,  the  cost  of  tickets,  the  place 
where  they  are  to  be  sold,  the  arrange- 
ment for  extra  trains.  Or,  again,  we 
plan  a  trip  to  Florida: — the  ways  and 
means  of  going,  the  departure  and  arri- 
val of  trains,  the  choice  of  routes,  the 
cost  of  the  journey,  the  hotels  which  we 
may  expect  to  find,  together  with  a 
thousand  other  items, — all  these  are 
learned  by  means  of  time-tables,  guide- 
books, and  printed  pamphlets,  which  we 
carefully  read  before  going.  Without 
this  information  which  has  been  written 
down  for  us,  and  without  this  power  on 


12     Reading:   How  to  Teach  It. 

our  part  to  read  it,  our  journey  would 
be  to  us  like  that  of  a  traveller  in 
an  unexplored  country,  except  as  our 
friends  give  us  the  result  of  their  ex- 
perience. The  business  man  consults 
the  paper  to  learn  of  the  quotations  of 
stocks  and  bonds,  the  arrival  or  depar- 
ture of  ships,  the  scarcity  or  abundance 
of  crops.  The  enthusiastic  bicyclist 
learns  of  the  proposed  runs  of  the  club 
through  the  obliging  columns  of  the 
paper;  his  guide-book  supplies  the  di- 
rections which  take  him  safely  to  his 
journey's  end,  or  the  descriptions  which 
interpret  to  him  the  places  through 
which  he  rides.  Can  we  imagine  our- 
selves as  bereft  of  this  power  of  reading 
the  printed  directions  which  are  every 
day  consulted  by  us  for  our  ordinary 
convenience  ?  How  limited,  how  hin- 
dered our  lives  would  seem  to  us  with 
this  power  withdrawn ! 


Why  Do  We  Read  ?          13 

Through  the  various  agencies  to  which 
we  have  referred,  and  similar  sources 
equally  familiar  to  us,  we  share  the_gx- 
perience  of  others  and  add  to  our  limited 
life  that  which  they  have  learned  for  us. 
Our  power  is  multiplied,  our  convenience 
is  assured,  our  happiness  is  increased  by 
means  of  the  work  which  lias  been  done 
by  others.  The  fruit  of  others'  thought 
and  experience  is  stored  ready  for  our 
use  as  soon  as  we  have  mastered  the  art 
of  reading.  Therefore,  in  order  that  we 
may  add  to  our  own  power  by  sharing 
the  experience  and  wisdom  of  others  in 
the  management  of  our  everyday,  prac- 
tical affairs,  we  have  learned  to  read. 

And,  furthermore,  as  members  of  a 
community  we  need  to  know  what  others 
are  doing.  We  cannot  live  to  ourselves 
alone.  Ordinary  intelligence  demands  a 
knowledge  of  contemporary  events.  A 
strike  in  the  Fall  River  mills,  a  freshet 


14     Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

in  the  Connecticut  Valley,  a  cyclone  in 
Iowa,  a  frost  in  Florida,  a  famine  or  a 
pestilence  in  India,  a  war  in  Cuba,  the 
threatened  partition  of  China,  the  acces- 
sion of  Hawaii,  are  matters  which  per- 
tain to  us  also.     In  these  days  of  rapid 
transmission   of  intelligence,   the  world 
has   become   one   great    family,   and    in 
proportion  as  one  recognizes  his  respon- 
sibility to  the  brotherhood  of  which  he 
is  a  member,   he  will  be  interested  to 
know  the  deeds  of  other  men,  the  hap- 
penings in  other  communities.      These 
exert  a  direct  influence  upon   our  own 
/    environment.     Therefore  we  read  to  ob- 
/     tain  knowledge  of  the  life  about  us,  in 
countries  near  and  remote ;  and  in  pro- 
\     portion  as  our  interest  is  wide  and  intel- 
\    ligent  does  such  reading  become  a  ne- 
\  cessity  to  us. 

Mo£eov€ry_ an  intelligent  judgment  of 
the    events   of    the    present    involves   a 


Why  Do  We  Read?  15 

knowledge  of  the  past,  which  to  so  large 
a  degree  determines  the  present.  What 
men  have  done,  what  they  have  discov- 
ered, what  they  have  thought,  in  the 
ages  that  are  past,  enables  us  to  inter- 
pret the  present.  A  complete  knowl- 
edge of  our  own  time  is  the  possession 
only  of  the  man  who  can  read  the  past. 
The  history  of  any  nation,  the  develop- 
ment of  any  art  or  science,  the  growth 
of  any  religion  can  be  known  only  to 
him  who  reads.  The  student  of  his 

V 

own  times  must  turn  to  the  life  of  the 
yesterdays  for  answers  to  the  problems 
which  are  confronting  him.  The  ex- 
perience of  the  past  has  been  chronicled 
in  books  in  order  that  we  may  share  the 
blessings  of  that  experience.  How  nar- 
row seems  the  life  of  the  person  who  is 
without  the  power  to  read  even  the  out- 
lines of  that  history !  We  have  but  to 
imagine  the  books  of  the  past  as  closed 


16     Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

to  the  entire  world,  and  the  power  of 
reading  as  cut  off  from  every  one,  to 
realize  the  individual  loss  when  the 
power  of  thus  reading  is  withheld.  It 
is  a  recognized  truth  that  the  broader 
one's  life,  the  greater  his  consciousness 
of  the  necessity  for  general  knowledge 
such  as  is  gained  from  books. 

A  fourth  type  of  reading  is  suggested 
by  the  ministrations  of  literature.  If 
we  imagine  ourselves  as  seated  by  the 
study  table  reading  our  favorite  poem, 
we  shall  recognize  that  it  has  been 
through  the  reading  of  literature  that 
much  of  our  highest  inspiration  has 
come  to  us.  It  is  the  poet  who  brings 
to  us  true  insight  into  our  own  experi- 
ence, who  interprets  for  us  the  great 
problems  of  life.  With  what  joy  and 
exultation  we  recall  our  magnificent 
hymns !  What  waves  of  emotion  sweep 
over  us  as  we  read  the  lines  in  which 


Why  Do  We  Read?          17 

the  master  hand  has  recorded  the  deep- 
est experiences !  For  enjoyment,  for 
culture,  for  spiritual  help  we  turn  to 
the  higher  order  of  books.  In  the  tru- 
est sense,  this  reading  directs  our  lives, 
interprets  our  experiences,  and  deter- 
mines our  ideals.  We  cannot  imagine 
ourselves  as  defrauded  of  this  birth- 
right. How  meagre  would  our  lives 
at  once  become  if  every  vestige  of  the 
treasures  of  literature  was  removed  from 
our  experience: — the  army  without  the 
battle  hymn,  the  home  without  the 
poem,  the  struggle  without  the  psalm 
of  courage,  the  mortal  defeat  without 
the  inspiring  shout  of  spiritual  triumph ! 
In  attempting  thus  to  picture  a  life 
without  the  inspiration  of  literature,  we 
realize  our  dependence  upon  its  teach- 
ings. The  higher  our  conception  of  liv- 
ing, the  fuller  our  realization  of  the  help 
which  comes  to  us  through  literature. 


1 8     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Our  motives  in  reading,  then,  may  be 
recorded  in  an  ascending  series:  To 
obtain  practical  guidance  in  everyday 
affairs;  to  enrich  our  lives  with  the  ex- 
perience of  our  neighbors ;  to  share  the 
wisdom  resulting  from  the  experience  of 
the  past;  to  gain  pleasure,  insight,  and 
spiritual  direction.  Any  one  of  these 
motives  would  be  sufficient  to  warrant 
us  in  teaching  reading;  through  any  one 
of  these  results  we  are  fitted  to  become 
better  members  of  the  community.  But 
can  we  draw  the  line,  giving  to  our  chil- 
dren the  lower  results  only,  where  so 
much  might  well  be  given  ? 

We  have  asked  why  we  read,  and 
the  question  which  naturally  follows  is: 
"  What  shall  we  read  ?"  We  must  be 
able  to  read  ordinary  facts  affecting  our 
everyday  life,  expressed  in  the  terms  of 
that  life.  Such  reading  involves  little 


Why  Do  We  Read  ?          19 

growth.  Its  purposes  are  exceedingly 
practical  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the 
term.  There  is  little  widening  of  our 
horizon,  little  deepening  of  our  experi- 
ence in  consequence  of  such  practice. 
Second,  we  should  read  such  books  and\ 
papers  as  will  serve  to  inform  us  of  \ 
contemporary  events, — such  events  as  I 
really  have  a  bearing  upon  our  present  I 
environment  or  the  life  of  the  future. 
This  reading  gives  us  knowledge  of 
other  peoples  and  places,  widening  our 
horizon,  and  urging  us  back  to  study, 
with  clearer  eyes,  the  environment  which 
has  been  constantly  about  us.  Only 
thus  can  we  truly  see  the  life  which  is 
nearest  to  us.  Third,  the  reading  of 
the  past  leads  us  to  the  pages  of  history 
in  which  the  best  has  been  chronicled. 
As  has  been  said,  the  knowledge  of  the 
present  can  be  obtained  only  through 
the  interpretation  of  the  past.  That 


2O     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

life  is  narrow  indeed  which  confines  its 
range  to  the  present  alone.  And  fourth, 
we  must  be  able  to  read  and  interpret 
literature,  a  reading  which  requires  a 
fuller  power  than  any  which  has  been 
heretofore  described,  and  involves  a 
higher  type  of  teaching. 

In  the  thought  of  many  parents  and 
friends  of  the  school,  the  immediately 
practical  aim  of  reading  is  the  only  one 
considered.  Because  reading  facilitates 
buying  and  selling,  coming  and  going, 
and  is  ordinarily  accepted  as  a  mark  of 
intelligence,  it  is  considered  as  an  essen- 
tial in  our  school  courses.  But  the 
higher  our  conception  of  life,  the  higher 
will  be  our  conception  of  education ;  and 
with  the  higher  conception  of  education 
comes  the  acceptance  of  the  higher  aim, 
even  in  our  simplest  teaching.  We  may 
learn  to  read  in  such  a  way  that  we 
never  rise  beyond  the  first  result  of  our 


Why  Do  We  Read?          21 

attainment.  This  will  almost  assuredly 
be  the  case  if  the  so-called  "  practical " 
aim  is  the  only  one  considered ;  but  if, 
from  the  beginning,  the  teacher's  hope 
and  that  of  the  parent  are  that  the  child 
may  grow  into  fuller  power,  we  shall 
find  his  life  strengthened  and  inspired 
by  the  loftier  aim,  by  the  surer  accom- 
plishment of  the  greater  result.  "  Seek 
ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall 
be  added  unto  you."  The  old  saying  is 
far  from  being  interpreted  in  these  days 
of  hurrying  to  obtain  the  immediate  and 
the  practical, — but  it  is  forever  true  that 
as  our  aim  becomes  higher,  the  type  of 
our  work  becomes  nobler,  while  the 
character  of  the  results  justifies  our  en- 
deavors. The  greater  will  include  the 
less,  but  the  lower  aim  may  never  lead 
to  the  higher.  Can  we  dare  to  with- 
hold from  our  children  the  comfort,  the 


22     Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

inspiration,  the  strength,  the  guidance 
that  has  come  tc  us  through  the  higher 
type  of  reading  ?  Is  it  not  a  necessity 
that,  from  the  beginning,  they  shall  be 
taught  to  look  forward  to  such  power  of 
acquisition  as  shall  open  to  them  the 
treasures  of  experience  which  have  been 
written  down  for  them  in  the  best 
books  ? 


//  is  as  undesirable  as  it  is  impossible  to  try 
to  feed  the  minds  of  children  only  upon  facts 
of  observation  or  record.  The  immense  prod- 
uct of  the  imagination  in  art  and  literature 
is  a  concrete  fact  with  which  every  educated 
being  should  be  made  somewhat  familiar,  such 
products  being  a  very  real  part  of  every  indi- 
vidual's actual  environment.  .  .  .  Do  we 
not  all  know  many  people  who  seem  to  live  in 
a  mental  vacuum — to  whom  we  have  great 
difficulty  in  attributing  immortality,  because 
they  apparently  have  so  little  life  except  that 
of  the  body  ?  Fifteen  minutes  a  day  of  good 
reading  would  give  any  one  of  this  multitude 
a  really  human  life.  ''The  uplifting  of  the 
democratic  masses  depends  upon  the  implant- 
ing at  schools  of  the  taste  for  good  reading." 
CHARLES  W.  ELIOT. 


CHAPTER   II. 

LITERATURE   IN   THE   SCHOOL-ROOM. 

LEARNING  to  read  is  an  important 
part  of  the  children's  training,  but 
learning  what  to  read  is  quite  as  impor- 
tant. A  child's  mastery  of  the  printed 
page  may  leave  him  with  the  key  to  that 
which  is  base  and  ignoble  in  literature, 
or  it  may  open  to  him  that  which  is 
noble  and  inspiring.  His  newly  gotten 
power  may  unlock  to  him  the  dime 
novel,  or  the  Iliad.  Whether  he  turns 
to  the  one  or  to  the  other  depends 
largely  upon  his  early  associations.  It 
is  determined  especially  by  his  early 
teaching. 


26     Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

To  present  the  right  standard  or  pat- 
tern is  one  of  the  functions  of  the 
teacher.  This  is  equally  true  whether 
the  lesson  be  the  form  of  a  Latin  verb, 
the  shape  of  a  vase,  the  polite  fashion  of 
address,  or  the  choice  of  books.  To  set 
the  copy  was  of  old  the  teacher's  part, 
and  it  must  still  occupy  a  prominent 
place  in  our  work.  For  the  sake  of  giv- 
ing the  children  right  ideals,  we  must 
place  before  them  the  best  in  literature, 
such  literature  as  will  supply  not  only 
standards  in  language,  but  ideals  in 
character.  Their  experience,  like  ours, 
must  be  reenforced  by  the  teachings  of 
others — the  lessons  which  have  been 
treasured  in  books — and  these  lessons 
must  begin  in  childhood.  It  is  a  mis- 
take to  postpone  good  literature  until 
the  child  has  mastered  word  forms  and 
the  technique  of  reading.  His  love  for 
the  good  must  exist  before  he  begins  to 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  27 

read  at  all,  and  must  be  stimulated  and 
strengthened  by  means  of  his  reading. 
At  the  same  time  that  he  becomes  mas- 
ter of  the  mechanics  of  reading,  he 
should  be  endowed  with  the  desire  to 
choose  that  which  is  good  to  read.  The 
work  of  the  teacher,  therefore,  is  to 
establish  ideals,  to  quicken  desire,  to 
strengthen  right  tendencies,  to  lead  to 
wise  choices.  These  belong  to  the  teach- 
ing of  reading,  and  should  assume  quite 
as  important  a  place  as  does  the  mastery 
of  words,  or  fluency  in  expression. 

As  has  been  said,  good  literature 
should  not  be  postponed  until  the  chil- 
dren can  read  it  for  themselves.  A 
study  of  our  own  experience  will  assure 
us  that  the  teachings  of  our  childhood 
have  made  the  most  lasting  impression 
upon  us.  It  is  the  childhood  associa- 
tion which  moves  us  most  strongly  to- 
day. As  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree  is 


28     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

inclined.  There  comes  a  time  in  the 
tree's  history  when  its  inclination  is 
fixed.  It  is  the  young  tree  which  is 
shaped  by  the  skill  of  the  nurseryman. 
The  best  of  poems  should  be  read  and 
recited  to  little  children.  '  Tell  me  a 
story,"  or  "  Read  to  me,"  is  the  oft- 
repeated  plea  in  the  home.  It  indicates 
the  child's  desire,  and  his  need  as  well. 
Let  us  be  taught  by  the  children.  Here 
is  our  opportunity  to  present  to  them 
the  story  that  is  worth  telling,  the  poem 
that  is  worth  reading.  '  Tell  it  again," 
we  hear,  after  every  recital,  and  again 
and  again  and  again  the  loved  story  is 
repeated.  Should  we  not  be  assured 
that  the  oft-heard  word  is  worthy  of  this 
frequent  repetition  ?  If  the  child  asks 
for  bread,  shall  we  give  him  a  stone  ? 

In  the  home,  long  before  the  child  en- 
ters school,  he  should  become  familiar 
with  true  stories,  fairy  stories,  exquisite 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  29 

songs,  beautiful  poems,  adapted  to  his 
intelligence,  suited  to  his  interest.  If 
this  good  work  has  been  done  at  home 
it  should  be  continued  by  the  teacher. 
If  it  has  been  neglected  by  the  home 
friends,  it  necessarily  becomes  a  part  of 
the  teacher's  work.  The  child's  mind 
should  be  furnished  with  the  best  stories 
and  poems  before  he  begins  his  primer. 
So  shall  he  long  to  master  the  art  which 
shall  open  books  to  him  for  his  own 
reading,  and  every  step  which  his  baby 
feet  take  in  the  path  to  his  desire  shall 
bring  him  consciously  nearer  to  the 
longed-for  treasure. 

Through  the  first  years  of  the  school 
life,  telling  stories,  reciting  poems,  or 
reading  to  the  children  should  be  a  fre- 
quent exercise.  This  may  occur  in  the 
time  of  the  reading  lesson,  in  the  lan- 
guage lesson,  or  the  morning  talk.  The 
benefits  derived  from  this  practice  are 


3O     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

two-fold.  The  stories  and  the  poems 
give  to  the  children  new  material  for 
thought ;  they  also  help  them  to  acquire 
a  taste  for  good  things  which  will  cause 
them  to  choose  instinctively  that  which 
is  good  when  they  are  left  free  to  choose. 
Children  who  have  been  accustomed  to 
the  stones  of  the  Iliad,  will  read  and 
re-read  this  treasure  in  later  life  with  an 
advantage  which  could  not  have  been 
theirs  had  not  the  heroes  of  the  old 
story  been  the  companions  of  their 
childhood's  thought.  We  can  hardly 
imagine  that  boys  accustomed  to  such 
associations  will  be  satisfied  with  the 
cheap  and  pernicious  pages  of  the  dime 
novel.  A  mind  well  furnished  with 
good  things  will  appropriate  good  to 
itself.  It  is  the  empty  head  which  be- 
comes filled  with  that  which  is  cheap 
and  mean.  The  children  of  a  certain 
city  were  once  asked  without  previous 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  31 

notice  to  write  down  something  which 
they  had  memorized.  Those  who  had 
not  been  taught  in  school  to  memorize 
choice  selections,  wrote  pages  of  curious 
and  uncouth  rhymes,  which  they  had 
learned  in  various  ways.  The  exercise 
proved  conclusively  that  they  must  be 
helped  to  choose  wisely.  The  choice 
will  never  be  between  the  good  and 
nothing,  fulness  and  emptiness :  it  will 
always  be  a  choice  between  the  good 
and  the  bad. 

Let  us  read  to  the  children,  then. 
Let  their  own  desires  guide  our  selec- 
tion in  the  beginning.  The  true  story, 
the  fairy  story,  the  poem,  may  be  read 
or  recited  in  turn.  The  children's  plea 
for  repetition  will  teach  us  what  their 
present  choice  is.  If  we  are  wise  we 
shall  be  instructed  by  their  comments 
and  questions. 

Three  rules  should  guide  our  choice 


32     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

of  literature:  First,  give  the  children 
what  is  good.  Second,  give  them  what 
we  like.  Third,  give  them  what  they 
like. 

The  first  rule  needs  no  interpretation. 
With  so  much  that  is  precious  waiting 
to  be  taught,  we  cannot  be  satisfied 
with  any  lesson  material  worthless  in 
itself.  Life  is  too  short  and  its  time 
too  sacred  to  admit  of  such  harmful 
dallying. 

The  second  rule  is  always  a  safe  one. 
We  must  teach  that  which  belongs  ta 
us.  We  cannot  give  to  the  children 
what  is  not  ours  to  give.  The  poem 
or  story  which  we  enjoy  because  it  an- 
swers to  something  in  our  nature,  we 
shall  be  able  to  teach  to  them.  We 
may  repeat,  but  we  cannot  teach,  that 
which  has  not  entered  into  our  own 
lives.  Therefore,  if  we  do  not  love  and 
appreciate  what  is  good  in  literature,  our 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  33 

first  duty  is  to  teach  ourselves,  in  order 
that  we  may  be  prepared  to  teach  the 
children. 

The  third  rule  necessitates  a  study  of 
the  children  as  well  as  a  study  of  litera- 
ture. Songs  and  stories  which  are  en- 
tirely suited  to  one  class  may  fail  to 
interest  another.  Those  which  we  like 
may  not  attract  the  children.  Hence, 
we  must  watch  them  through  our  story- 
telling or  our  reading,  and  judge,  by 
their  attention,  their  comments,  their 
silence,  their  indifference,  where  their 
interest  lies.  We  must  begin  with  that 
which  appeals  to  their  child  life,  their 
present  interest;  but  we  shall  not  end 
there.  We  must  lead  them  to  a  fuller 
enjoyment  and  to  a  wider  interest,  by 
giving  them  always  a  little  more  than 
that  for  which  they  ask. 

There  is  much  in  the  pages  of  the  best 
literature  which  is  already  suited  to  chil« 
3 


34     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

dren's  understanding.  Let  us  choose 
that  first.  But  we  shall  dare  to  add 
much  which  they  do  not  fully  under- 
stand as  yet,  knowing  that  the  future 
will  interpret  to  them  that  which  is  now 
hidden.  It  is  a  mistake  to  cut  litera- 
ture to  the  children's  comprehension. 
Let  us  trust  that  they  will  feel  in  some 
measure  the  beauty  which  they  cannot 
understand,  and  that  their  future  ex- 
perience will  unlock  the  door  which  is 
now  shut  to  them. 

The  writer  remembers  a  class  of  chil- 
dren— children  who  came  from  rude 
homes,  whose  lives  were  narrow  and 
hindered,  who,  nevertheless,  listened 
with  intense  interest  to  the  poems 
which  their  teacher  read  to  them.  It 
happened  that  she  once  selected  for 
the  morning  reading  the  first  stanzas  of 
Longfellow's  poem,  "  My  Lost  Youth." 
They  listened  eagerly  until  the  book 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  35 

was  closed,  giving  evidence  of  apprecia- 
tion with  every  return  of  the  rhythmic 
refrain.  "Is  that  all?"  they  asked. 
"  No,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  you  would 
not  understand  the  rest."  "  Oh,  read  it 
to  us,  even  if  we  don't,"  they  urged. 
"  We  love  the  sound  of  it." 

The  writer  has  often  heard  primary 
classes  reciting  Wordsworth's  "  Daffo- 
dils "  with  great  delight.  Without 
doubt  the  child's  interpretation  differs 
from  that  of  the  man, — understanding 
is  the  fruit  of  experience, — but  even  thus 
early  the  children  enter  into  the  spirit 
of  the  poem,  rejoice  in  the  beauty  of 
the  daffodils,  and  are  happy  in  the  rhyth- 
mic recitation.  The  beautiful  words  are 
treasured  in  their  memories,  to  return 
again  and  again  to  gladden  their  hearts, 
just  as  the  bright  vision  was  repeated  in 
the  experience  of  the  poet. 

Give  to  the  children,  then,  not  only 


36     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

the  child  thought  which  fits  the  childish 
experience,  but  also  the  treasure  which 
grows  in  beauty  as  they  grow,  and  be' 
comes  rich  as  they  become  wise. 

It  is  well  for  the  teacher  to  cultivate 
the  art  of  telling  stories  to  children. 
The  story  that  is  told  has  an  element  o{ 
life  which  is  not  found  in  the  story  that 
is  read.  There  is  no  barrier  between 
the  story-teller  and  his  audience;  the 
book  often  makes  a  gulf  between  the 
reader  and  his  hearers.  Practise  story- 
telling. Let  the  children's  indifference 
teach  you  wherein  you  fail ;  your  un- 
conscious tutors  will  show  you  what 
to  omit  and  what  to  magnify.  Their 
training  will  help  you  in  other  direc- 
tions. If  you  yield  yourself  to  the 
teaching  of  the  children,  you  will  be  re- 
paid by  a  new  readiness  in  story-telling 
before  less  kindly  and  less  candid  critics. 
Do  not  forego  this  privilege. 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  37 

It  is  well  to  read  and  re-read  the  poem 
or  story  until  it  becomes  the  child's  own 
possession.  The  term  "  Memory  Gem  " 
has  been  adopted  into  our  familiar  school 
phrases.  Whether  the  phrase  remains 
or  not,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  exer- 
cise which  it  names  will  always  have  a 
place.  It  has  an  advantage  beyond  sim- 
ply reading  or  hearing  the  poem.  The 
poem  which  has  been  committed  to 
memory  and  recited  again  and  again, 
becomes  the  child's  own.  It  will  recur 
to  him  at  his  play,  at  his  work,  in  school 
and  out.  No  other  thought  treasure  is 
so  dear  to  us  as  that  which  is  learned  in 
childhood,  and  which  accompanies  us 
through  life.  Through  such  indirect 
teaching,  we  may  remain  an  influence 
for  good  even  when  our  names  have 
been  forgotten.  By  means  of  such  tui- 
tion the  child  becomes  familiar  with  the 
vocabulary  of  good  literature,  and  is 


38     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

prepared  to  read,  understand,  and  enjoy 
that  which  would  otherwise  have  been 
beyond  his  reach.  By  all  means  con- 
tinue the  "  memory  gem,"  but  be  as- 
sured that  the  selections  are  truly 
gems. 

A  poem  or  story  may  be  presented  to 
a  child  as  a  message  from  the  author  to 
him.  Whittier's  "  Barefoot  Boy,"  for 
example,  serves  not  only  to  describe  the 
barefoot  boy,  but  to  tell  the  children 
something  about  the  poet  himself.  If 
they  read  it  with  this  thought  in  mind, 
they  will  be  desirous  of  learning  some- 
thing about  the  poet.  This  study  of 
the  author  should  not  precede  the  study 
of  the  poem.  They  will  care  to  learn 
about  Whittier  because  he  has  written 
this  charming  poem  for  them  ;  now,  facts 
about  his  life  will  be  filled  with  meaning; 
they  will  rejoice  in  the  story  of  his  boy- 
hood experience,  and  will  return  to 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  39 

'The  Barefoot  Boy"  with  a  keener 
interest,  because  it  has  become  real  to 
them  through  their  study  of  the  poet's 
life.  For  little  children  (and  is  it  not 
true  of  grown-up  children  as  well?)  this 
is  the  natural  order  of  teaching.  We 
care  to  know  about  Scott  because  we 
delight  in  "  Marmion  "  and  "Ivanhoe"; 
we  do  not  first  learn  about  the  author, 
and  then  decide  to  read  his  works. 

Other  things  being  equal,  our  selections 
for  reading  and  for  memorizing  should 
be  from  the  world's  best  writers.  We 
should  at  least  be  sure  that  the  chil- 
dren's course  of  reading  gives  them 
some  sense  of  companionship  with  a 
few  men  and  women  who  have  blessed 
the  world  through  their  books.  Hans 
Christian  Andersen,  Alice  and  Phcebe 
Gary,  Mary  Howitt,  Longfellow,  Whit- 
tier,  Lowell,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson, 
and  Eugene  Field  have  written  some  of 


4O     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

their  best  thoughts  for  children  as  well 
as  for  men  and  women.  Some  of  these 
names  should  stand  for  real  personali- 
ties, nay,  for  friends,  to  the  children, 
before  they  leave  school. 

One  question  is  often  asked  by  teach- 
ers: "  Shall  I  give  myths  to  the  chil- 
dren, and  how?  and  can  I  give  them  if 
I  do  not  believe  them  nor  like  them  at 
all  myself?"  Somewhere,  sometime, 
somehow,  the  children  should  become 
familiar  with  the  classic  myths.  The 
"sometime"  should  be  in  childhood, 
or  the  myths  will  never  fulfil  their 
true  mission.  They  should  come  at 
the  time  when  children  delight  in  the 
marvellous,  the  fanciful,  the  grotesque. 
Rightly  used,  they  help  to  develop  the 
imagination,  a  power  which  is  left  sadly 
to  itself  in  school  life.  They  serve  as  a 
basis  for  future  reading.  A  knowledge 
of  them  is  necessary  to  the  interpreta- 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  41 

tion  of  the  best  in  literature.  By  all 
means  give  them  to  the  children,  but 
give  them  in  their  best  form.  They 
should  not  be  mutilated  by  any  attempt 
to  embody  them  in  words  of  one  sylla- 
ble. Let  the  child's  reading  of  the 
myths  wait  until  he  is  able  to  read  some 
version  couched  in  the  purest  English. 
Meanwhile,  read  them  to  him  again  and 
again,  sometimes  without  note  or  com- 
ment, for  explanations  are  often  bun- 
gling attempts  to  explain  that  which  can 
never  be  explained.  Let  the  child  ab- 
sorb into  himself  what  the  story  conveys 
to  him.  Answer  his  questions  plainly, 
if  you  can.  Tell  him  you  do  not  know, 
if  you  do  not ;  but  do  not  spoil  his  vis- 
ions by  attempting  to  teach  vaporized 
theories. 

Enough  has  been  said  of  the  teach- 
er's duty  in  the  direction  of  developing 
taste.  It  is  self-evident  that  no  teacher 


42     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

can  help  a  child  to  appreciate  that 
which  is  beautiful,  unless  she  herself 
appreciates  it.  The  fountain  cannot 
rise  higher  than  its  source.  We  must 
be  that  which  we  would  help  the  chil- 
dren to  become.  Therefore,  it  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  the  teacher's 
reading  be  carefully  directed.  I  know  of 
no  way  in  which  a  teacher  can  better 
serve  her  children  than  by  reading  the 
best  books.  This  reading  will  be,  of 
course,  in  the  line  of  her  own  tastes 
and  interests.  Every  year,  at  the  least, 
a  new  book  should  become  a  teacher's 
possession.  She  should  not  only  buy  it 
to  keep,  but  she  should  read  and  re-read 
it,  until  its  contents  become  a  part  of 
herself.  Every  year  should  widen  her 
horizon,  and  enable  her  to  see  more 
truly  than  she  has  seen  before.  Every 
book  thus  read  and  re-read  becomes  a 
definite  force  in  her  life,  and  uncon- 


Literature  in  the  School-Room.  43 

sciously  directs  her  teaching.  The 
teacher  who  would  guide  her  pupils  in 
the  fields  of  literature,  must  herself  fre- 
quent the  paths  in  which  she  desires 
their  feet  to  tread. 


If  the  crowns  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
empire  were  laid  down  at  my  feet  in  exchange 
for  my  books  and  my  love  of  reading,  I  would 
spurn  them  all, 

— F&NELON. 


CHAPTER   III. 

LEARNING  TO   READ. 

THE  problem  of  teaching  would  be 
solved  could  the  teacher  know  how 
her  well-devised  plan  of  action  really 
affects  her  pupil.  Patiently  and  per- 
sistently she  follows  her  foreordained 
method,  but  who  can  know  the  critical 
moment  when  the  mind  opens  to  take  in 
the  new  idea,  and  to  delight  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  growth  ?  Who  can  name 
or  describe  the  Open  Sesame  that  un- 
locks the  world  of  books  to  the  child  ? 

A  clear  light  is  thrown  upon  our  com- 
mon problem  by  the  charming  descrip- 
tion of  one  child's  experience.  Hugh 


46     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Miller,  in  his  "  Schools  and  School- 
masters," tells  us  how  he  learned  to 
read,  or,  rather,  learned  to  love  reading. 
We  quote  at  length: — 

I  had  been  sent,  previous  to  my  father's 
death,  to  a  dame's  school,  where  I  was  taught 
to  pronounce  my  letters  to  such  effect  in 
the  old  Scottish  mode,  that  still,  when  I  at- 
tempt spelling  a  word  aloud,  which  is  not 
often, — for  I  find  the  process  a  perilous  one, — 
the  aa's,  and  ee's,  and  uh's,  and  rau's,  return 
upon  me,  and  I  have  to  translate  them,  with 
no  little  hesitation,  as  I  go  along,  into  the 
more  modish  sounds.  A  knowledge  of  the 
letters  themselves  I  had  already  acquired  by 
studying  the  signposts  of  the  place, — rare 
works  of  art,  that  excited  my  utmost  admira- 
tion, with  jugs,  and  glasses,  and  bottles,  and 
ships,  and  loaves  of  bread  upon  them ;  all  of 
which  could,  as  the  artist  intended,  be  ac- 
tually recognized.  During  my  sixth  year,  I 
/  spelt  my  way,  under  the  dame,  through  the 
i  Shorter  Catechism,  the  Proverbs,  and  the  New 
i  Testament,  and  then  entered  upon  her  highest 
\form,  as  a  member  of  the  Bible  Class;  but 


Learning  to  Read.  47 

all  the  while,  the  process  of  acquiring  learn- 
ing had  been  a  dark  one,  which  I  slowly  mas- 
tered, in  humble  confidence  in  the  awful 
wisdom  of  the  schoolmistress,  not  knowing 
whither  it  tended, — when  at  once  my  mind 
awoke  to  the  meaning  of  that  most  delightful 
of  all  narratives,  the  story  of  Joseph.  Was 
there  ever  such  a  discovery  made  before  !  I] 
actually  found  out  for  myself,  that  the  art  of 
reading  is  the  art  of  finding  stories  in  books, 
and  from  that  moment  reading  became  one 
of  the  most  delightful  of  my  amusements.  I 
began  by  getting  into  a  corner  at  the  dismis- 
sal of  the  school,  and  there  conning  over  to 
myself  the  new-found  story  of  Joseph  ,-)nor 
did  one  perusal  serve;  (the  other  Scripture 
stories  followed, — in  especial,  the  story  of 
Samson  and  the  Philistines,  of  David  and 
Goliath,  of  the  prophets  Elijah  and  Elisha; 
and  after  that  came  the  New  Testament  stories 
and  parables.  Assisted  by  my  uncles,  I  began 
to  collect  a  library  in  a  box  of  birch-bark 
about  nine  inches  square,  which  I  found  quite 
large  enough  to  contain  a  great  many  immor- 
tal works, — "Jack  the  Giant-Killer,"  and 
"Jack  and  the  Bean-Stalk, "  and  the  "Yel- 
low Dwarf,"  and  "Blue  Beard,"  and  "Sind- 


48     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

bad  the  Sailor,"  and  "  Beauty  and  the  Beast," 
and  "Aladdin  and  the  Wonderful  Lamp," 
with  several  others  of  resembling  character.  J 

Those  intolerable  nuisances,  the  useful- 
knowledge  books,  had  not  yet  arisen,  like 
tenebrious  stars,  on  the  educational  horizon, 
to  darken  the  world,  and  shed  their  blighting 
^influence  on  the  opening  intellect  of  the 
"  youthhood  "  ;  and  so,  from  my  rudimental 
books — books  that  made  themselves  truly 
such  by  their  thorough  assimilation  with  the 
rudimental  mind — I  passed  on,  without  being 
conscious  of  break  or  line  of  division,  to 
books  on  which  the  learned  are  content  to 
write  commentaries  and  dissertations,  but 
which  I  found  to  be  quite  as  nice  children's 
books  as  any  of  the  others.  Old  Homer 
wrote  admirably  for  little  folk,  especially  in 
the  "Odyssey";  a  copy  of  which,  in  the 
only  true  translation  extant, — for,  judging 
from  its  surpassing  interest  and  the  wrath  of 
critics,  such  I  hold  that  of  Pope  to  be, — I 
found  in  the  house  of  a  neighbor.  Next 
came  the  "  Iliad  "  ;  not,  however,  in  a  com- 
plete copy,  but  represented  by  four  of  the  six 
volumes  of  Bernard  Lintot.  With  what 
power,  and  at  how  early  an  age,  true  genius 


Learning  to  Read.  49 

impresses !  I  saw,  even  at  this  immature 
period,  that  no  writer  could  cast  a  javelin 
with  half  the  force  of  Homer.  The  missiles 
went  whizzing  athwart  his  pages  ;  and  I  could 
see  the  momentary  gleam  of  the  steel,  ere  it 
buried  itself  deep  in  brass  and  bull-hide.  I 
next  succeeded  in  discovering  for  myself  a 
child's  book,  of  not  less  interest  than  even 
the  "  Iliad,"  which  might,  I  was  told,  be 
read  on  Sabbaths,  in  a  magnificent  old  edi- 
tion of  "Pilgrim's  Progress,"  printed  on 
coarse,  whity -brown  paper,  and  charged  with 
numerous  woodcuts,  each  of  which  occupied 
an  entire  page,  that,  on  principles  of  econ- 
omy, bore  letterpress  on  the  other  side.  And 
such  delightful  prints  as  these  were  !  It  must 
have  been  some  such  volume  that  sat  for  its 
portrait  to  Wordsworth,  and  which  he  so  ex- 
quisitely describes  as 

"Profuse  in  garniture  of  wooden  cuts, 
Strange  and  uncouth ;  dire  faces,  figures  dire, 
Sharp -kneed,    sharp  -  elbowed,    and    lean- 

ankled,  too, 
With    long    and     ghastly    shanks, — forms 

which,  once  seen, 
Could  never  be  forgotten." 
4 


5O     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

/In  process  of  time  I  had  devoured,  besides 
these  genial  works,  "  Robinson  Crusoe," 
"  Gulliver's  Travels,"  "  Ambrose  on  Angels," 
the  judgment  chapter  in  Howie's  "  Scotch 
Worthies,"  Byron's  "Narrative,"  and  the 
"  Adventures  of  Philip  Quarll,"  with  a  good 
many  other  adventures  and  voyages,  real  and 
fictitious,  part  of  a  very  miscellaneous  collec- 
tion of  books  made  by  my  father.  It  was  a 
melancholy  little  library  to  which  I  had  fallen 
heir.  Most  of  the  missing  volumes  had  been 
with  the  master  aboard  the  vessel  when  he 
perished.  Of  an  early  edition  of  Cook's 
"  Voyages,"  all  the  volumes  were  now  absent 
save  the  first ;  and  a  very  tantalizing  romance 
in  four  volumes,  Mrs.  Ratcliff's  "  Mysteries 
of  Udolpho,"  was  represented  by  only  the 
earlier  two./  Small  as  the  collection  was,  it 
contained  some  rare  books, — among  the  rest, 
a  curious  little  volume  entitled,  "  The  Mira- 
cles of  Nature  and  Art,"  to  which  we  find  Dr. 
Johnson  referring,  in  one  of  the  dialogues 
chronicled  by  Boswell,  as  scarce  even  in  his 
day,  and  which  had  been  published,  he  said, 
some  time  in  the  seventeenth  century  by  a 
bookseller  whose  shop  hung  perched  on  Old 
London  Bridge,  between  sky  and  water.  It 


Learning  to  Read.  51 

contained,  too,  the  only  copy  I  ever  saw  of 
the  "  Memoirs  of  a  Protestant  condemned  to 
the  Galleys  of  France  for  his  Religion," — a 
work  interesting  from  the  circumstance  that, 
though  it  bore  another  name  on  its  title-page, 
it  had  been  translated  from  the  French  for  a 
few  guineas  by  poor  Goldsmith  in  his  days  of 
obscure  literary  drudgery,  and  exhibited  the 
peculiar  excellences  of  his  style.  The  col- 
lection boasted,  beside,  of  a  very  curious  old 
book,  illustrated  by  very  uncouth  plates,  that 
detailed  the  perils  and  sufferings  of  an  Eng- 
lish sailor  who  had  spent  his  best  years  of  life 
as  a  slave  in  Morocco.  It  had  its  volumes  of 
sound  theology,  too,  and  of  stiff  controversy, 
— Flavel's  "Works,"  and  Henry's  "Com- 
mentary," and  Hutchinson  on  the  "  Lesser 
Prophets,"  and  a  very  old  treatise  on  the 
"  Revelation,"  with  the  title-page  away,  and 
blind  Jameson's  volume  on  the  "  Hierarchy," 
with  first  editions  of  "  Naphthali,"  "The 
Cloud  of  Witnesses,"  and  "The  Hind  let 
Loose."  But  with  these  solid  authors  I  did 
not  venture  to  grapple  until  long  after  this 
time.  Of  the  works  of  fact  and  incident 
which  it  contained,  those  of  the  voyagers 
were  my  especial  favorites.  I  perused  with 


52     Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

avidity  the  voyages  of  Anson,  Drake,  Raleigh, 
Dampier,  and  Captain  Woods  Rogers, /and 
my  mind  became  so  filled  with  conceptions 
of  what  was  to  be  seen  and  done  in  foreign 
parts,  that  I  wished  myself  big  enough  to  be 
a  sailor,  that  I  might  go  and  see  coral  islands 
and  burning  mountains,  and  hunt  wild  beastn 
and  fight  battles.  / 


These  reminiscences  are  most  sugges- 
tive. Do  they  not  find  a  parallel  in  our 
memory  of  our  childhood  conquest  of 
the  art  of  reading  ? 

Before  planning  her  lessons  in  reading, 
the  teacher  will  do  well  to  review  her 
,own  experience  in  reading,  or  to  scan 
the  difficulties  which  she  has  encoun- 
tered in  teaching  other  classes.  A  brief 
,  analysis  of  her  experiences,  both  as  a 
pupil  and  as  a  teacher,  will  reveal  dis- 
tinct lines  of  achievement  in  learning  to 
read.  These  are  illustrated  in  any  act 
of  reading. 


Learning  to  Read.  53 

"  The  old  familiar  sights  of  ours 

Took   marvellous   shapes.     Strange  domes 

and  towers 

Rose  up  where  sty  and  corncrib  stood, 
Or  garden  wall,  or  belt  of  wood. 
The  bridle  post  an  old  man  sat, 
With  loose-flung  coat  and  high-cocked  hat. 
The  wellcurb  had  a  Chinese  roof, 
And  even  the  tall  sweep,  high  aloof, 
In  its  slant  splendor  seemed  to  tell 
Of  Pisa's  leaning  miracle." 

To  read, — that  is,  to  get  the  meaning  of 
these  lines ;  or,  if  one  reads  aloud,  to  get 
and  to  give  the  meaning.  One  who 
truly  reads  "Snow-Bound"  learns  to 
see  the  scenes  which  Whittier  so  beauti- 
fully describes;  to  see  them  as  he  saw 
them,  with  tender  affection,  and  to  in- 
terpret the  deeper  meaning  of  the  lines 
of  "  homely  toil  and  destiny  obscure." 
Manifestly  this  involves  much.  On  the 
surface,  and  first  attracting  the  atten- 
tion of  the  teacher,  appears  the  obvious 


54     Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

necessity  of  knowing  the  words  at  sight. 
Familiarity  with  the  forms  of  the  words 
used  is  indispensable  to  reading.  This 
involves  knowing  the  sounds  of  the 
words,  while  the  power  to  pronounce 
new  words  readily  calls  for  knowledge 
of  the  laws  of  English  pronunciation. 

In  the  minds  of  too  many  teachers  of 
little  children,  such  mastery  of  word  pro- 
nunciation is  held  as  reading.  But  this 
is  a  grievous  error,  which  leads  to  nar- 
row and  mechanical  work,  and  obscures 
the  high  purpose  of  real  reading.  Ref- 
erence to  the  definition  of  reading,  and 
a  study  of  the  selection  from  "  Snow- 
Bound,"  will  show  us  the  proper  value 
of  this  achievement  and  its  relation  to 
true  reading.  The  words  are  the  vehicle 
of  thought,  a  means  to  an  end.  Their 
mastery  is  indispensable  to  reading,  but 
the  reader  must  compass,  not  the  single 
word-speaking,  but  the  meaning  of  the 


Learning  to  Read.  55 

related  words  which  express  the  author's 
thought.  Knowledge  of  the  meaning  of 
the  words  used,  and  especially  the  mean- 
ing of  the  words  as  Whittier  uses  them, 
is  necessary  to  a  clear  understanding  of 
the  poem.  The  reader  who  would  un- 
derstand the  poem  must  know  some- 
thing of  farm  life — the  sty  and  the  corn- 
crib,  the  garden  wall,  the  wellcurb,  the 
sweep,  and  the  other  accessories  of  the 
farm  which  Whittier  names  or  describes. 
Plainly,  too,  his  knowledge  must  extend 
further — to  a  Chinese  roof,  and  Pisa's 
leaning  miracle.  To  such  knowledge, 
observation  of  common  life  must  minis- 
ter, coupled  with  the  study  of  books  and 
pictures.  In  other  words,  the  reader 
interprets  Whittier's  "Snow-Bound"  by 
virtue  of  his  own  experience,  reenforced 
by  the  experience  of  others  as  written 
down  in  books,  or  pictured  with  brush 
or  pen.  To  the  formal  word-mastery, 


56     Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

then,  must  be  added  study  of  the  mean- 
ing of  new  words,  or  recalling  such  ex- 
perience as  explains  the  old.  The  con- 
tent, as  well  as  the  form,  of  the  word 
must  be  studied. 

Added  to  such  study,  is  the  general 
training  which  gives  us  power  to  picture 
the  unknown,  interpreting  a  new  scene 
through  its  relation  to  our  old  experi- 
ence. The  ready  and  trained  imagina- 
tion easily  pictures  the  scene  which  the 
words  conjure  before  the  mind — makes 
real  the  homestead,  snowbound  and  com- 
fortfilled.  Reading  may  be  so  taught 
as  to  develop  this  power,  which  takes 
hold  on  things  unseen.  No  careful 
teacher  omits  such  training. 

Here,  then,  are  different  phases  of 
teaching  reading  :  mastery  of  the  words 
as  to  form  and  sound;  explanation  of 
the  meaning  of  new  words,  through 
observation  or  reading;  lessons  which 


Learning  to  Read.  57 

tend    to    develop    power    of    imagina- 
tion. 

The  young  child  who  leaves  his  home 
and  his  play  to  enter  upon  the  life  of  the 
school-room  finds  a  new  world  awaiting 
him,  with  manifold  new  experiences. 
Hitherto  he  has  romped  and  rambled  to 
his  heart's  content.  All  his  friends  and 
playmates  have  in  turn  been  his  teach- 
ers, albeit  theirs  has  been  an  unconscious 
tuition.  His  lessons  have  been  in  the 
line  of  his  desires,  or  suggested  by  his 
natural  environment.  Longfellow  pic- 
tures the  little  Hiawatha  in  the  arms  of 
his  first  teacher,  the  loving  old  Noko- 
mis  : 

"  At  the  door  on  summer  evenings 
Sat  the  little  Hiawatha, 
Heard  the  whispering  of  the  pine-trees, 
Heard  the  lapping  of  the  water — 
Sounds  of  music,  words  of  wonder ; — 
Saw  the  moon  rise  from  the  water, 


58     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Rippling,  rounding  from  the  water, 
Saw  the  flecks  and  shadows  on  it, 
Whispered,  '  What  is  that,  Nokomis  ? ' 
And  the  good  Nokomis  answered — " 


The  moon,  the  rainbow  in  the  heaven, 
the  Milky  Way,  the  firefly,  the  owl  and 
owlet,  the  beaver,  the  rabbit,  the  squirrel 
— these  saluted  the  baby  boy,  and  awak- 
ened his  interest.  '  What  is  that  ? "  he 
cried,  with  eager  question.  "  And  the 
good  Nokomis  answered."  The  little 
Hiawatha  "  learned  of  every  bird  its  lan- 
guage." He  was  taught,  not  by  old 
Nokomis  alone,  but  by  bird  and  beast, 
flower  and  field. 

So  with  every  child  who  enters  the 
school-room  upon  that  fateful  first  Mon- 
day in  September.  He  brings  with  him, 
not  an  empty  head,  but  a  mind  stored 
with  the  memories  of  varied  experiences. 
Just  as  the  little  Hiawatha  gazed,  pon- 


Learning  to  Read.  59 

dered,  questioned,  learned — so  this  child 
has  seen,  has  heard,  has  questioned,  has 
thought,  has  acted.  What  he  brings  to 
school,  who  can  tell  ?  What  has  he  seen 
and  heard  ?  What  has  he  liked  and  de- 
sired ?  What  has  he  questioned  and 
learned  ?  How  little  we  know  of  this 
unwritten  history!  And  yet  it  deter- 
mines the  net  result  of  all  our  teaching. 
For  nothing  which  we  attempt  to  teach 
finds  lodgment  in  the  child  mind  unless 
it  is  linked  with  some  past  experience 
and  awakens  actual  interest.  Much  of 
our  reiterated  instruction  falls  upon  deaf 
ears,  fails  utterly  to  awaken  the  dormant 
interest,  because  it  is  ill  chosen.  We 
must  know  something  about  the  life  of 
the  children  before  we  can  wisely  teach 
them. 

The  thoughtful  teacher  remembers 
this  truth  and  directs  her  work  accord- 
ingly. Instead  of  rushing  with  headlong 


60     Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

zeal  into  the  routine  of  reading,  writing, 
and  number — under  the  impulsion  of  the 
Course  of  Study,  and  the  memory  of 
classes  which  failed  to  "pass" — she 
makes  haste  slowly,  and  devotes  the  first 
days  of  the  term  to  lessons  which  help 
t  to  reveal  the  experience  of  the  children. 
Observation  of  and  talks  about  common 
things;  conversations  which  lead  the 
children  to  tell  what  they  can  do,  or  like 
to  do;  storytelling;  picture  drawing; — 
these  afford  opportunity  for  expression, 
and  serve  to  show  the  teacher  something 
of  her  pupils'  attainments,  and  the  line 
of  their  interests  as  well.  Meanwhile, 
they  are  becoming  accustomed  to  the 
school-room  routine,  and  so  emerge  from 
the  period  in  which  they  gazed,  dumb 
and  dazed,  at  the  many  marvels  with 
which  this  new  school  world  is  crowded. 
They  come  to  know  the  teacher  as  their 
friend,  and  they  become  free  and  con- 


Learning  to  Read.  61 

fident  in  her  presence.  Thus  the  true 
atmosphere  of  the  school-room  is  created 
— the  only  atmosphere  in  which  whole- 
some and  natural  teaching  and  learning 
can  thrive. 

This  is  not  a  prodigal  misuse  of  time. 
It  is  the  part  of  thrift  to  so  spend  in  the 
beginning,  for  the  returns  are  evident  in 
the  ease  and  readiness  with  which  pupils 
and  teacher  afterward  work  together — 
the  value  of  every  lesson  being  enhanced 
by  the  mutual  good  will  and  understand- 
ing. 

The  school  differs  from  the  home  and 
the  kindergarten  in  that  its  allotted  tasks 
are  evidently  determined  by  a  motive 
and  plan  outside  the  child's  comprehen- 
sion. In  many  cases  this  must  be  so. 
The  lessons  which  involve  the  mastery 
of  the  symbols  used  in  reading,  writing, 
and  number,  or  the  drill  and  practice 


62     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

necessary  to  attain  skill  in  music  or 
drawing  or  writing,  have  no  self-evident 
goal  for  the  child.  So  many  lines,  so 
many  letters,  so  many  problems,  he  at- 
tempts, because  the  teacher  says  so,  and 
in  his  new  universe  the  teacher  is  su- 
preme. At  home  he  has  always  chosen 
more  or  less;  so,  too,  in  the  kindergar- 
ten his  interest  and  choice  determined 
the  story  or  the  game  or  the  topic  of  con- 
versation. He  has  delighted  in  building 
houses,  modelling  balls,  weaving  mats, 
playing  games — and  all,  so  far  as  he 
knew,  for  his  own  immediate  pleasure 
and  accomplishment.  Other  results,  to 
him  unknown,  were  of  course  secured. 
He  builded  better  than  he  knew.  But 
in  every  case  he  rejoiced  in  some  im- 
mediate accomplishment  which  he  de- 
sired. 

In  too  many  cases  the  decreed  exer- 
cises of  the  school  are  meaningless  and 


Learning  to  Read.  63 

purposeless  to  the  beginner.  Such  ex- 
ercises easily  degenerate  into  dull  and 
fruitless  routine,  indifferent  and  profit- 
less to  teacher  and  pupil  alike.  To 
arouse  desire  and  awaken  conscious 
motive  is  the  teacher's  most  import- 
ant work,  and  in  teaching  reading  it 
should  receive  first  consideration.  She, 
therefore,  after  securing  such  freedom 
and  cooperation  as  promise  a  fertile 
soil  for  her  seed-planting,  calls  the 
children  about  her  to  explain  the  pur- 
pose of  the  lessons  which  will  fill  their 
days. 

Perhaps  she  reads  to  them  a  story 
which  they  like,  a  new  story  which  they 
have  never  heard.  When  she  reaches 
the  interesting  climax  she  pauses  to  say, 
"  I  haven't  time  to  read  the  rest  of  the 
story  now.  How  I  wish  you  could  read  ! 
Then  you  might  take  the  book  and  read 
the  story  yourselves.  Would  you  not 


64     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

like  to  learn  to  read,  so  that  you  could 
read  stones  like  these  ?  " 

In  Hugh  Miller's  graphic  description 
of  his  childhood  experience  in  reading, 
this  element  of  purpose  and  desire  is 
strongly  emphasized.  '  The  process  of 
learning  and  acquiring  had  been  a  dark 
one,"  he  says,  recalling  his  struggles 
with  letters  and  syllables.  He  "  slowly 
mastered  "  these"  in  humble  confidence 
in  the  awful  wisdom  of  the  schoolmis- 
tress, not  knowing  whither  it  tended," 
when  (as  a  member  of  the  Bible  Class 
— "  in  the  highest  form  ")  his  mind 
"  awoke  to  the  meaning  of  that  most 
delightful  of  all  narratives,  the  story  of 
Joseph.  Was  there  ever  such  a  discov- 
ery made  before  ? " 

Such  testimony  might  be  repeated  a 
thousand  times  over,  by  our  pupils  of 
to-day — if  they  were  able  to  describe 
their  common  experience. 


Learning  to  Read.  65 

It  was  the  first  vision  of  the  goal  that 
gave  meaning,  motive,  and  conscious 
gladness  to  Hugh  Miller's  study.  Such 
motive  and  such  meaning  should  per- 
vade the  earliest  lessons  in  reading,  and 
should  be  consciously  recognized  by  pu- 
pil as  well  as  teacher.  We  repeat,  then : 
the  teacher's  first  effort,  after  becom- 
ing acquainted  with  her  children,  is  to 
awaken  this  conscious  desire  to  read, 
and  to  secure  intelligent  cooperation  in 
her  exercises. 

One  teacher  suggests  writing  upon  the 
board  some  sentence  which  has  been 
whispered  to  her  by  the  children,  and 
then  calling  an  older  child  from  another 
room  to  read  the  secret.  This  is  done 
again  and  again,  until  the  children  are 
eager  to  share  the  power  which  their 
comrade  possesses,  and  turn  gladly  to 
the  tasks  required  of  them,  that  they 
may  the  sooner  reach  their  goal. 
5 


66     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

There  is  a  wide  difference  between 
such  teaching  and  the  routine  drill  which 
does  not  enlist  the  child's  desire.  The 
enthusiastic  bicyclist  would  smile  if  asked 
to  exchange  his  morning  ride  to  the  city 
for  an  hour's  exercise  upon  a  fixed  "  bi- 
cycle exerciser  "  in  the  back  hall.  Nor 
could  the  most  skilful  pedagogue  con- 
vince him  that  the  exercise  involved  in 
making  the  wheel  go  round  is  as  valu- 
able as  the  spin  which  carries  him  to  his 
destination,  through  the  fresh  morning 
air,  along  roads  bordered  with  flowered 
fields.  Yet  the  contrast  is  no  more 
marked  than  that  between  the  task  of  the 
syllable-pronouncer,  who  obediently  per- 
forms his  meaningless  labor,  and  that  of 
the  child  who,  with  conscious  and  ear- 
nest desire,  sets  himself  to  learn  to  read. 

In  order  to  give  some  sense  of 
immediate  achievement,  the  sentences 
of  the  first  lessons  should  express 


Learning  to  Read.  67 

thoughts  in  which  the  children  are  in 
terested. 

This  is  Kate. 

Kate  can  read. 

Kate  has  a  book. 

Read  to  me,  Kate. 

Kate  can  read. 

I  can  read,  too. 

Kate  has  a  book. 

I  have  a  book,  too. 

See  Kate's  book! 

See  my  book! 

Kate  has  a  doll. 

I  have  a  doll,  too. 

Kate  has  a  kitty. 

I  have  a  dog. 

Kate  likes  her  doll. 

I  like  my  dog. 

See  my  dog! 

See  Kate's  little  kitty  f 

Come,  little  Kitty. 

Come  to  me,  Kitty. 


68     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

The  object  of  these  preparatory  lessons 
is  to  give  some  consciousness  of  the 
purpose  of  reading,  and  some  sense  of 
achievement.  The  sentences  are  the 
children's,  obtained  in  a  conversation 
concerning  Kate,  who  is  an  older  pupil, 
or  some  pictured  child.  The  sentence 
is  the  unit,  and  is  read  by  the  teacher. 
The  children  repeat  the  sentence  after 
her  reading. 

Of  course  these  first  efforts  are  not 
reading.  They  simply  represent  the 
children's  memory  of  the  teacher's  words 
and  tone.  Often,  when  asked  to  read 
alone,  the  child  dashes  at  the  wrong  sen- 
tence with  his  pointer,  which  vainly  wan- 
ders in  search  of  the  right  one.  But  just 
as  the  frequent  observation  of  the  loved 
story  in  the  picture  book  not  only  fixes 
the  words  in  their  order,  but  enables  the 
young  listener  to  find  some  of  them  upon 
the  page,  so,  by  repetition  of  these  first 


Learning  to  Read.  69 

sentences,  the  words  are  at  last  held  in 
the  mind,  and  are  recognized  in  new 
places  and  under  new  relations.  The 
attentive  eye  will  recognize  the  new 
words,  first  in  their  wonted  place  in  the 
sentence,  then  when  isolated.  At  first 
the  words  selected  for  repetition  and 
recognition  are  those  which  present  few- 
est difficulties ;  —  not  by  any  means  the 
shortest  words — as  a,  is,  too — but  the 
meaningful  words,  the  nouns  and  ad- 
jectives, and  verbs  which  denote  action. 
Kate,  book,  doll,  dog,  kitty — these  are 
the  first  and  easiest,  in  the  lessons  writ- 
ten above.  Later,  see  and  likes,  with 
can  read.  Later  still,  I  have,  this  is — 
while  is  and  a  will  not  be  emphasized  as 
units  until  the  eyes  have  been  trained  to 
distinguish  more  readily,  and  the  words 
have  become  familiar  through  constant 
repetition. 

Such  lessons  should  continue  for  sev- 


70     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

eral  weeks,  introducing  the  various  dear 
and  oft-seen  objects  of  the  child's  envi- 
ronment, and  the  actions  with  which  he 
has  long  been  familiar.  The  sentences 
should  be  worth  reading,  and  grouped 
in  coherent  paragraphs.  Drill  in  rec- 
ognizing the  words  should  follow  the 
sentence  reading,  in  every  day's  les- 
son. 

When  the  children  can  recognize  at 
sight  a  vocabulary  of  one  hundred  to 
two  hundred  words,  they  should  be- 
gin to  compare  them,  and  to  place  in 
groups  those  which  are  alike  in  sound. 
For  example:  book,  look,  and  brook 
are  known  ;  red  and  fed ;  cat,  hat, 
and  pat  ;  Fan,  ran,  can,  and  Dan. 
Placed  in  lists,  their  similarity  is  evi- 
dent: 

book  fed  cat  Fan 
look  red  hat  ran 
took  bed  sat  man 


Learning  to  Read.  71 

Some  one  volunteers  to  increase  the  list, 
adding  took,  bed,  sat,  and  man.  Here 
is  the  beginning  of  the  analysis  of  words 
into  their  sounds,  and  with  this  lesson 
a  new  feature  appears  in  our  word 
study. 

Such  lessons  in  sentence  reading  as 
have  been  suggested,  if  continued  long 
enough  and  with  sufficient  discretion  on 
the  part  of  the  teacher,  might  enable  a 
class  to  read  independently — for,  even 
without  the  teacher's  direction,  obvious 
likenesses  and  differences  in  words  are 
noted  by  the  children,  and  rules  are  de- 
duced therefrom.  But  the  mastery  of  a 
large  vocabulary  is  readily  secured  only 
through  attention  to  the  common  laws 
of  pronunciation,  and  familiarity  with 
the  sound  units.  Thus  far  every  word 
has  been  presented  as  a  new  unit.  Now 
the  children  should  learn  that  these 
words  are  like  many  others  in  form,  and 


72     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

that  the  pronunciation  of  one  serves  as 
a  key  to  the  many.  Knowing  book,  all 
monosyllables  ending  in  ook  can  at  once 
enter  their  vocabulary  of  recognizable 
words;  knowing  Fan,  all  monosyllables 
with  the  an  ending  are  known.  The 
missing  factor  is  the  knowledge  of  the 
sounds  of  the  separate  letters  which  are 
initials  in  these  group  words  —  m-an, 
F-an,  c-an,  r-an,  t-an,  p-an.  At  this 
juncture  these  sounds  should  be  taught. 
There  has  been  some  question  among 
teachers  as  to  the  time  for  teaching 
sounds  of  the  letters.  It  is  wise  to  de- 
fer this  teaching  until  the  children  have 
acquired  some  little  facility  in  reading, 
and  understand  its  purpose,  that  their 
work  may  not  be  approached  from  the 
mechanical  side  solely.  Again,  the  vo- 
cabulary which  the  children  already  know 
reveals  groups  of  similar  words  and 
suggests  the  wisdom  of  analysis  and 


Learning  to  Read.  73 

classification.  And,  further,  the  too 
early  attempt  to  study  the  lists  of  sim- 
ilar words  and  to  select  and  emphasize 
them  for  use  in  reading,  drives  the  chil- 
dren at  once  to  their  most  difficult  task. 
It  is  much  easier  to  recognize  Hiawatha 
and  arrow,  because  they  are  long  and 
different,  and  seem  hard,  than  to  name 
promptly  the  elusive  can,  ran,  and  tan, 
which  seem  so  easy  and  yet  are  so  nearly 
alike  as  to  be  formidable  obstacles  to  the 
success  of  the  untrained  observer.  The 
climax  of  objection  is  reached  when  we 
cite  the  tendency  to  make  sentences 
solely  for  the  sake  of  using  certain  words, 
thus  destroying  the  element  of  thought 
value  in  the  sentence.  "  Does  the  fat 
rat  see  the  cat  on  the  mat  ?  "  is  far  more 
difficult  fora  child  than  is  "Hiawatha 
lived  in  a  wigwam  with  old  Nokomis  " 
— for  the  reasons  above  named. 

The  mastery  of  words  is  an  essential 


74     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

element  in  learning  to  read.  Our  com- 
mon mistake  is,  not  that  we  do  such 
work  too  well,  but  that  we  make  it  the 
final  aim  of  the  reading  lesson,  and  lead 
the  children  to  feel  that  they  can  read 
when  they  are  merely  able  to  pronounce 
words.  Perhaps  lack  of  careful  atten- 
tion to  the  form  of  words  is  quite  as 
serious  a  mistake,  for  it  results  in  care- 
lessness in  reading. 

The  study  of  form  and  of  sound  should 
be  associated,  but  attention  to  sound 
alone  should  precede  any  attempt  to 
master  the  form  as  suggesting  sound. 
Children  should  be  taught  to  recognize 
and  to  distinguish  sounds,  to  repeat 
them  accurately,  to  speak  them  dis- 
tinctly, before  they  are  taught  to  copy 
the  single  characters  which  represent 
these  sounds.  /  To  hear,  to  repeat,  to 
compare,  to  distinguish  sounds,  should 
be  the  order  of  the  instruction. 


Learning  to  Read.  75 

Careless  speech  and  indistinct  articula- 
tion often  arise  from  imperfect  hearing, 
or  indifferent  attention  to  what  is  said. 
Children  should  be  trained  in  the  early 
lessons  to  hear,  and  to  repeat,  exactly 
what  is  said.  The  repetition  is  a  test  of 
the  child's  hearing.  Begin  with  short 
sentences.  Speak  them  clearly,  in  a 
moderate  voice,  requiring  the  children 
to  repeat  after  once  hearing.  Gradually 
increase  the  length  of  sentence,  but  do 
not  increase  the  volume  of  voice;  speak 
distinctly,  and  expect  the  children  to  be 
attentive  enough  to  hear  an  ordinary 
tone ;  teach  them  to  respond  in  the  same 
tone,  with  clear  articulation.  Continue 
this  exercise  until  a  long  sentence  can 
be  accurately  returned ;  then  pronounce 
lists  of  words  beginning  with  letters 
which  demand  careful  articulation.  When 
these  have  been  mastered,  draw  atten- 
tion to  initial  sounds,  and  then  to  the 


76     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

letters  which  represent  them.  Work 
with  these  until  every  letter  suggests  its 
sounds  to  the  pupils,  whether  in  a  new 
or  in  a  familiar  word.  With  little  chil- 
dren, the  sound  should  be  taught  first  in 
connection  with  initial  letters  always. 

A  successful  device  consists  in  allowing 
each  pupil  to  represent  a  certain  sound. 
If  the  sound  is  the  initial  sound  in  his 
own  name,  it  will  be  easy  for  the  chil- 
dren to  remember.  Thus — John  can  al- 
ways suggest  the  sound  of  j,  Mary  the 
sound  of  m,  Peter  the  sound  of  p,  and 
so  on.  A  class  of  children  aided  in  this 
way  will  master  the  sounds  of  the  letters 
in  a  very  short  time. 

Having  learned,  through  the  initials, 
the  sounds  which  various  letters  repre- 
sent, the  next  step  will  be  to  analyze 
monosyllables  into  their  sounds.  Select 
first  those  containing  short  vowels,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  difficulty  of  the  silent 


Learning  to  Read.  77 

letter.  The  preliminary  drill  with  the 
initials  will  have  made  this  step  an  easy 
one  to  take. 

Whenever  a  type  word  is  represented, 
as  black,  for  example,  the  children 
should  be  taught  to  suggest  other  words 
which  rhyme  with  the  pattern,  as  crack, 
back,  lack,  etc.  If  in  every  such  case  the 
common  element  is  studied  and  mastered, 
in  a  few  weeks  the  children  will  become 
possessors  of  a  large  vocabulary,  whose 
basis  is  the  few  familiar  words  which 
they  have  studied.  Every  type  word 
will  stand  for  a  list  of  words  similar  in 
form. 

This  study  of  sounds  should  continue 
through  at  least  the  first  jive  school 
years.  After  analyzing  any  word  into 
its  separate  sounds,  the  children  should 
be  required  to  name  other  known  words 
which  resemble  the  one  studied.  This 
will  tend  to  a  habit  of  classification,  and 


78     Reading  :   How  to  Teach  It. 

will   enable  the    pupil   to  depend    upon 
himself  in  his  study. 

Diacritical  marks  are  a  help  in  master- 
ing new  words,  if  the  key  words  have 
been  studied  in  connection  with  the 
marks.  They  are  needed  also  in  con- 
sulting the  dictionary  for  pronunciation. 
They  should  be  taught  only  when  neces- 
sary to  the  pronunciation.  In  older 
classes,  after  the  use  of  the  dictionary 
becomes  necessary,  a  complete  list  should 
be  mastered.  It  is  a  mistake  to  insist 
'•  upon  diacritical  marking  when  the  chil- 
.  dren  can  pronounce  accurately  without. 
I  remember  hearing  a  teacher  chide  a 
pupil  for  reading  a  sentence  before  she 
had  time  to  mark  the  vowels,  but,  since 
the  child  could  and  did  read  without  such 
help,  the  marking  was  evidently  unneces- 
sary. It  serves  as  a  means  to  an  end,  and 
should  be  dispensed  with  when  the  end 
can  be  reached  without  such  artificial  aid. 


Learning  to  Read.  79 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  every  child  refers 
a  new  word  back  to  a  similar  word  with 
which  he  has  become  familiar.  Thus: 
black,  once  mastered,  serves  as  a  key  to 
sack,  crack,  quack,  etc.  The  only  ele- 
ments in  these  words  are  the  final  ele- 
ment ack  and  the  initial  sounds.  If  a 
child  hesitates  with  a  new  word,  help 
him  to  refer  at  once  to  the  type  word 
which  he  has  already  mastered.  Instead 
of  pronouncing  the  new  word  for  him, 
insist  upon  his  using  for  himself  his  own 
stock  of  knowledge.  Help  him  only 
where  he  cannot  help  himself.  If  he 
forms  the  habit  of  referring  the  unknown 
to  the  kindred  known,  he  will  become 
independent  in  study.  For  example,  to  a 
six-years-old  child  the  word  blacksmith 
may,  at  first  sight,  appear  formidable. 
Separated  into  its  parts  and  referred  to 
the  simple  words  already  mastered,  the 
child  conquers  the  newcomer,  and  adds 


8o     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

it  to  his  list  of  servants.  He  is  endowed 
with  new  strength,  because  he  has  mas- 
tered something  which  seemed  to  him 
hard.  Such  conquests,  often  repeated, 
lead  to  strength  and  independence.  In 
many  cases,  it  is  wise  to  leave  a  child  to 
wrestle  with  a  word  which  at  first  sight 
he  fails  to  master.  Of  course  this  proc- 
ess is  unwise  if  he  has  no  experience  to 
which  he  can  refer  for  help.  Guess-work 
will  never  take  the  place  of  thought,  and 
a  child  should  not  be  driven  to  guess  at 
the  pronunciation,  but  every  attempt 
should  be  based  upon  something  which 
he  has  been  taught  in  former  lessons. 
Such  practice  will  lead  to  thoughtful 
self-help. 

This  work  may  be  facilitated  by  many 
devices.  We  have  seen  classes  hunting 
for  new  words  beginning  with  a  given 
sound,  as  eagerly  as  if  they  were  play- 
ing hide-and-seek.  Or  with  the  utmost 


Learning  to  Read.  81 

enjoyment  they  have  made  lists  of 
words  beginning  with  chosen  sounds ;  or 
matched  pairs  of  words  which  rhymed. 
But  their  most  valuable  exercise  is  that 
in  which  the  old  familiar  word  of  their 
first  vocabulary  is  made  the  key  which 
unlocks  the  new. 

Now,  when  a  new  word  is  presented, 
the  teacher  no  longer  pronounces  it  for 
the  children,  but  asks  instead,  "  What 
word  helps  you  to  pronounce  it?" 
Bright  is  not  a  new  word,  because  the 
children  know  light,  remember  the  sound 
of  br,  and  put  their  two  bits  of  knowl- 
edge together  to  meet  the  new  emer- 
gency. They  do  for  themselves  what 
the  teacher  has  heretofore  done  for 
them. 

A  most  helpful  form  of  word  study, 
which  is  suitable  for  desk  work,  is  mak- 
ing lists  of  words  containing  the  same 
sound.  It  strengthens  the  habit  of 
6 


82     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

classification,  and  helps  in  spelling  and 
in  the  recognition  of  new  words. 

The  most  difficult  work  for  children 
appears  in  words  which  are  spelled  alike 
and  pronounced  differently,  or  in  words 
pronounced  alike  and  spelled  differently, 
or  in  the  various  equivalents  of  the  same 
sound  which  our  language  affords.  Chair, 
their,  where,  etc.,  suggest  the  problems 
of  this  nature.  This  work  should  be  in- 
troduced not  earlier  than  the  third  or 

i-     ••' 

fourth  year.  It  should  come  in  connec- 
tion with  the  spelling  lesson,  and  not 
with  the  reading.  The  mastery  of  these 
difficulties  in  English  spelling  doubtless 
requires  many  months  of  careful  teach- 
ing. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  children 
are  hindered  and  not  helped  by  any  at- 
tempt to  spell,  by  sound,  words  which 
are  unique  in  spelling.  Through,  for 
example,  should  be  learned  by  sight,  and 


Learning  to  Read.  83 

not  by  sound.  Beautiful,  tongue,  phy- 
sique, may  illustrate  this  group.  The 
eye  and  not  the  ear  must  be  depended 
upon  in  the  mastery  of  such  words.  Care 
should  be  taken  to  develop  the  habit  of 
accurate  attention  through  the  eye  as 
well  as  the  ear.  Any  attempt  to  mark 
the  sounds  in  these  words  increases  the 
labor  without  increasing  facility.  If  the 
teacher  makes  a  careful  classification  of 
the  ordinary  words  which  frequently  re- 
cur in  the  reading  lesson,  she  will  dis- 
cover the  class  which  must  be  mastered 
by  sight.  Out  of  the  remainder  she  can 
make  lists  which  include  the  ordinary 
type  sounds.  The  study  of  these  lists 
will  reduce  the  labor  of  word  mastery  to 
its  minimum,  and  the  habit  of  compari- 
son developed  through  this  study  will  go 
far  to  make  the  children  independent  in 
the  pronunciation  of  new  words. 

It  is  self-evident  that  this  plan  can  be 


84     Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

pursued  only  when  the  words  are  amen- 
able to  common  phonic  laws.  Cough, 
and  its  congeners,  ^hould  be  named  as 
new  wholes.  So  with  all  words  which 
follow  no  rule,  and  must  be  pronounced 
by  substitution.  No  time  should  be 
lost  by  attempting  a  method  which  has 
no  excuse  for  being,  in  such  cases.  In 
its  place,  as  a  help  to  the  mastery  of 
groups  of  kindred  words,  it  is  invalu- 
able. Out  of  place,  it  is  bad. 

For  diacritical  marks  and  correct  pro- 
nunciation, the  teacher  is  referred  to  the 
standard  dictionaries.  It  should  not  be 
forgotten  that  the  teacher's  pronuncia- 
tion is  a  guide  to  the  pupil.  She  needs 
a  quick  ear  and  the  careful  judgment 
which  will  render  her  a  safe  guide.  The 
familiar  rule  should  direct  her  practice  : 
When  in  doubt,  consult  the  dictionary. 

Note  the  value  of  this  word  mastery. 
The  pupil  fast  becomes  independent  of 


Learning  to  Read.  85 

the  teacher,  and  ready  to  master  the 
page  for  himself.  Note,  also,  that  this 
power  becomes  his  in  proportion  to  the 
teacher's  purpose  to  make  him  self-help- 
ful, and  her  skill  in  finding  the  connect- 
ing link  between  the  new  knowledge  and 
the  old. 

Two  elements  of  learning  to  read  have 
been  presented  here:  sentence  reading 
and  word  mastery.  Of  the  study  of  the 
meaning  of  the  words  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  power  of  imagination  we 
shall  speak  elsewhere. 


Reading  without  purpose  is  sauntering,  not 
exercise.  More  is  got  from  one  book  on  which 
the  thought  settles  for  definite  end  in  knowl- 
edge, than  from  libraries  skimmed  over  by  a 
wandering  eye.  A  cottage  flower  gives  honey 
to  the  bee,  a  king's  garden  none  to  the  butterfly. 
— EDWARD  BULWER. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  STUDY   OF  THE   LESSON. 

IN  our  emphasis  of  certain  phases  of 
the  new  education,  there  is  a  ten- 
dency to  swing  away  from  the  use  of 
the  text-book,  so  that  the  children  de- 
pend largely  upon  the  teacher's  oral  in- 
struction and  explanation.  It  often 
happens  that  the  teacher,  in  her  zeal, 
forgets  that  the  growth  of  the  children 
depends  upon  their  own  doing,  and  im- 
agines that  her  thought  and  experience 
will  suffice,  without  effort  on  the  part  of 
her  pupils.  This  state  of  affairs  exists 
in  the  reading  class  oftener  than  in  any 
other.  Time  is  often  wasted  in  smooth- 


88      Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

ing  out  difficulties  which  never  existed 
as  such  to  the  children,  and  obstacles 
are  explained  away  before  they  are 
recognized  by  the  child  as  obstacles. 
Meanwhile  the  teacher  is  doing  the 
work  and  the  pupil  is  losing  the  oppor- 
tunity to  gain  power  by  wrestling  with 
his  little  problems  himself. 

It  is  essential  that  even  the  little  chil- 
dren should  be  taught  how  to  study  to 
the  limit  of  their  ability.  The  study  of 
the  reading  lesson  may  be  made  a  most 
profitable  exercise.  Too  much  of  the 
occupation  termed  study  by  both  pupil 
and  teacher  is  an  indifferent  conning  of 
the  book,  a  careless  and  hurried  repeti- 
tion of  the  text,  or  a  thoughtless  copy- 
ing; all  of  which  weakens  the  power  of 
attention,  and  tends  to  make  the  les- 
son dull  and  uninteresting.  Such  loss 
should  be  prevented  by  careful  direc- 
tion of  the  young  student.  The  study 


The  Study  of  the  Lesson.      89 

should  be  at  first  conducted  under  the 
personal  guidance  of  the  teacher,  for, 
until  the  children  grow  into  the  power 
of  learning  to  work  by  themselves,  they 
need  to  be  taught  how  to  study  as  well 
as  how  to  read.  The  time  spent  in  the 
preparation  of  the  lesson  should  be 
thoughtfully  employed,  the  exercise  re- 
sulting in  helpful  habits  as  well  as  in 
increased  power. 

Before  we  can  teach  our  pupils  how 
to  study  their  reading  lessons,  we  must 
have  a  realizing  sense  of  their  difficul- 
ties in  reading.  This  means  that  we 
must  know  our  children  as  well  as  we 
would  have  them  know  their  lesson.  A 
successful  teacher  of  little  children  once 
told  the  writer  that  she  allowed  her  pu- 
pils a  period  for  free  conversation  every 
day.  While  they  availed  themselves  of 
this  privilege,  she  listened,  in  order  to 
discover  in  what  they  were  interested 


90      Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

and  about  what  subjects  they  talked 
freely  to  one  another.  Having  learned 
this,  she  began  her  language  lessons 
where  the  children's  interest  was  cen- 
tred, led  them  gradually  to  new  inter- 
ests, and  helped  them  to  overcome  their 
limitations. 

Some  such  study  of  individual  chil- 
dren, or  at  least  of  the  varying  classes  of 
children,  is  indispensable  to  the  teacher 
who  would  endeavor  to  train  her  pupils 
to  overcome  the  obstacles  in  their  way. 
It  is  vain  for  her  to  assume  that  all 
classes  are  alike,  and  that  a  mastery  of 
the  words  at  the  head  of  the  lesson  will 
properly  equip  them  all  for  the  feat  of 
rendering  the  thought  which  the  lesson 
contains.  Such  easy  assumption  ends 
in  failure.  The  children  differ  in  attain- 
ment and  in  experience.  We  cannot 
take  for  granted  either  knowledge  or 
ignorance  on  their  part.  We  must 


The  Study  of  the  Lesson.      91 

study  their  experience  in  order  to  know 
their  limitations  and  their  needs. 

A  class  of  children  of  foreign  parent- 
age was  engaged  in  reading  a  fairy  tale 
which  described  the  adventures  of  a  wee 
robin  on  his  way  to  sing  a  Yule  song  to 
the  king.  Evidently  the  children  were 
not  accustomed  to  imaginative  tales, 
and,  moreover,  they  had  the  dimmest 
possible  notions  of  the  wee  robin,  the 
gray,  greedy  hawk,  the  Yule  song,  and 
the  king.  Their  reading  was  dull,  mo- 
notonous, and  indifferent,  accomplished 
by  dint  of  constant  suggestion  and  ex- 
planation on  the  part  of  the  teacher, 
and  wearisome  though  patient  repeti- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  children. 

The  exercise,  though  termed  reading, 
was  in  reality  simply  a  preparation  for 
reading.  It  would  have  been  greatly 
improved  by  a  conscious  recognition  of 
its  import  by  both  teacher  and  pupils. 


92      Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

They  were  studying  the  lesson  together 
and  aloud.  Had  it  been  thoughtfully 
studied  in  this  way  before  reading  was 
attempted,  both  exercises  would  have 
been  more  helpful  to  the  pupils. 

This  same  class  was  afterwards  ques- 
tioned in  regard  to  home  reading.  Not 
one  pupil  was  accustomed  to  read  or  to 
hear  reading  at  home.  In  few  homes 
were  there  any  books,  while  story-tell- 
ing was  a  practice  of  which  they  had 
never  dreamed.  Obviously  these  chil- 
dren had  in  their  home  experience  a 
meagre  preparation  for  reading,  and  the 
teacher's  duty  was  consequently  a 
double  one.  In  such  an  instance  the 
reading  lesson  would  be  entirely  robbed 
of  its  value  if  the  proper  study  of  the 
lesson  were  omitted. 

For  preliminary  study,  therefore,  it  is 
well  for  the  teacher  to  use  the  period 
assigned  to  reading  in  talking  with  the 


The  Study  of  the  Lesson.      93 

class  about  the  lesson,  her  object  being 
not  to  tell  what  she  knows,  but  to  dis- 
cover what  the  children  know  or  do  not 
know.  To  this  end  she  will  bend  a  lis- 
tening ear  to  all  mistakes,  not  to  waive 
them  away,  nor  to  smile  at  the  awkward 
interpretation,  but  to  see  from  what 
limitation  they  arise.  Knowing  their 
source,  she  can  help  to  correct  them  by 
removing  the  cause.  Such  attention  to 
the  errors  or  the  questions  of  the  chil- 
dren discloses  two  classes  of  difficulties : 
those  which  the  children  can  overcome 
by  thought  or  by  observation,  and 
others  in  which  the  teacher  must  of  ne- 
cessity furnish  the  necessary  explana- 
tion. For  example,  a  class  in  a  primary 
school  read,  and  with  fair  expression, 
the  story  of  "  a  kid  upon  the  roof  of  a 
house  that  railed  at  a  wolf  passing  by." 
The  teacher,  knowing  her  class,  assumed 
their  ignorance  of  the  meaning  of 


94      Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

"  railed  "  — was  not  surprised  at  the  sug- 
gestion that  "  the  kid  fired  a  rail  at  the 
wolf" — and  by  her  explanation  made 
clear  the  meaning  of  the  word.  She  was 
surprised,  however,  in  the  course  of  the 
study  conversation,  to  discover  that  to 
the  majority  of  the  class  "  kid"  stood 
for  little  boy.  Nothing  in  the  wording 
of  the  fable  or  in  the  children's  experi- 
ence served  to  correct  the  impression. 
Again  the  duty  devolved  upon  the 
teacher. 

Obviously,  in  such  cases  the  children 
must  depend  upon  the  teacher.  To 
withhold  aid  at  the  right  time  is  to 
make  the  study  fruitless  and  the  chil- 
dren indifferent  or  discouraged.  On  the 
other  hand,  by  means  of  just  such  united 
exercises  in  study  the  children  will  learn 
to  measure  their  own  understanding  and 
to  point  out  their  own  limitations. 

Fancy  the  class,   described  above,  as 


The  Study  of  the  Lesson.      95 

having  been  taught  to  study,  and  there- 
fore having  wrestled  alone  with  the  fa- 
ble. Upon  coming  to  the  recitation, 
some  are  conscious  of  their  ignorance 
and  say  at  once,  "  I  do  not  know  what 
'railed'  means."  They  have  studied 
to  some  purpose,  have  made  themselves 
ready  for  their  teacher's  explanation 
— and  for  helping  themselves  by  means 
of  the  dictionary.  The  other  difficulty 
presented  by  the  slang  use  of  "kid" 
would  of  course  fail  to  present  itself  to 
their  consciousness. 

One  result,  then,  of  the  preliminary 
study,  with  or  without  the  teacher, 
should  be  to  help  the  children  to  dis- 
cover the  "  don't  know"  line;  the  sec- 
ond  should  be  to  enable  them  to  help 
themselves,  if  possible.  Through  care- 
ful and  conscious  study,  they  may  be 
helped  to  realize  the  "  sense"  of  what 
they  read,  and  to  judge  for  themselves 


96      Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

when  they  fail  to  get  the  meaning  of  the 
sentence. 

From  the  beginning,  the  children 
should  be  shown  that  every  sentence 
is  an  embodiment  of  a  thought,  every 
word  having  its  place  in  the  expression 
of  that  thought. 

"  A  saucy  robin  is  eating  the  ripe 
cherries  in  the  tree  under  my  window," 
the  children  read.  The  teacher  studies 
with  them  for  a  moment.  What  does 
the  sentence  teil  them  ?  Who  is  eating 
the  ripe  cherries  ?  What  kind  of  robin  ? 
What  is  he  doing  ?  What  is  he  eating  ? 
What  cherries  is  he  eating  ?  Where  is 
the  tree  ?  What  word  tells  us  what 
kind  of  a  robin  is  eating  ?  What  words 
tell  where  the  cherries  are  ?  What  word 
tells  who  is  eating  the  cherries  ?  Even 
in  primary  schools  such  questioning  is 
valuable,  leading  the  children  to  realize 
that  the  words  appear  in  the  sentence, 


The  Study  of  the  Lesson.      97 

not  by  chance,  but  in  order  to  express 
something;  that  every  word  has  its 
work,  that  not  one  can  be  omitted,  that 
a  change  in  a  single  word  changes  the 
thought.  Such  exercises,  thoughtfully 
conducted,  will  lead  the  children  to  look 
for  the  thought  in  the  sentence,  and  will 
make  its  mastery  a  test  of  their  success. 
If  the  sentence  does  not  yield  them  a 
thought  which  they  understand,  let 
them  question  every  word  until  they 
get  its  meaning.  Thus  they  learn  to 
recognize  the  line  where  their  knowl- 
edge ends  and  their  ignorance  begins. 

It  is  often  the  case,  however,  that  the 
difficulty  to  be  overcome  is  the  pupils' 
inability  to  pronounce  words  whose 
meaning  may  be  familiar.  If  this  is  the 
case,  they  will  need  to  bring  all  their 
knowledge  of  words  to  bear  upon  this 
new  problem.  "Sidewalk"  is  a  long 
word,  a  new  word — no  one  knows  it, 
7 


98      Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

The  teacher  helps,  not  by  pronouncing 
it  and  easing  the  children  of  their  load. 
No.  She  says :  '  That  word  seems 
long,  but  it  is  very  easy.  You  know 
the  first  syllable."  Yes,  everybody 
knows  "  side."  '  Now,  who  knows  the 
second  ?  Who  can  put  them  togeth- 
er ?"  The  children  rejoice  in  the  sense 
of  overcoming.  They  have  gained  some 
power  to  help  themselves.  Our  teach- 
ing should  compel  as  well  as  invite  such 
thoughtful  comparison  of  the  old  with 
the  new,  should  lead  the  children  to  use 
what  they  have  learned,  in  the  mastery 
of  the  not  learned. 

The  simplest  lessons  in  preparatory 
study  are  thus  justified:  they  lead  to  a 
conscious  judgment  of  one's  attainment. 
Study  means  nothing  if  it  does  not  lead 
to  this  judgment.  The  power  once 
gained,  the  pupil  is  his  own  best  teach- 
er, his  own  strongest  helper.  Prize, 


The  Study  of  the  Lesson.      99 

then,  all  exercises  which  lead  to  this 
judgment.  Instead  of  saying  to  the  un- 
trained pupil,  "  Read  your  lesson  ten 
times,"  when  his  present  attainment  or 
lack  of  attainment  renders  such  repeti- 
tion worse  than  useless,  you  will  say, 
"  Read  the  lesson  and  copy  all  the 
words  whose  meaning  you  do  not 
know."  "  Read  and  copy  the  words 
that  you  cannot  pronounce."  "  Read 
and  copy  the  sentence  that  you  do  not 
understand."  "  Read  so  carefully  that 
you  are  sure  you  can  read  well  to  the 
class. ' ' 

The  skilful  teacher  will  think  of  a 
hundred  devices  to  advance  such  study. 
The  test  of  each  device  will  be,  "  Does 
it  help  to  arouse  thought  ?  Does  it  end 
in  thoughtful  study  ?  " 

Such  study  is  necessary  before  reading 
whenever  we  may  assume  that  the  lesson 
presents  any  difficulty  to  the  child,  un- 


ioo   Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

less  we  prefer  that  the  first  oral  rendei 
ing  of   the    lesson    shall    be   merely   a 
studying  aloud. 

As  a  stimulus  to,  or  a  test  of,  study,  it 
may  be  well  to  omit  the  oral  reading  oc- 
casionally, substituting  for  it  an  exercise 
in  silent  reading,  whose  thoroughness  is 
tested  by  questions.  After  the  usual 
study  of  the  lesson  the  books  are  closed 
and  the  teacher  calls  upon  the  pupils  to 
tell  her  what  they  have  read.  Older 
pupils  may  respond  by  giving  the  sub- 
stance of  the  lesson.  Younger  children 
may  be  tested  by  more  frequent  and  de- 
tailed questions  after  the  reading  of  short 
paragraphs. 

The  above  exercise  is  even  more  help- 
ful if  the  children  share  in  the  question- 
ing. They  read  with  keener  interest  ii 
their  knowledge  is  thus  put  to  the  test. 

Such  exercises  tend  to  emphasize  to 
the  pupils  the  truth  that  their  reading  is 


The  Study  of  the  Lesson.    101 

not  for  itself,  but  to  make  them  masters 
of  the  thoughts  expressed  in  their  les- 
sons. It  becomes  more  real,  more  pur- 
poseful, in  proportion  as  this  is  realized. 
In  this  connection,  it  may  be  said 
that  anything  which  adds  purpose  to 
the  reading  lesson  gives  motive  to  study. 
When  pupils  are  asked  to  read  to  the 
class  some  selection  unknown  to  the 
other  pupils,  they  study  and  read  with 
a  zest  quite  unlike  that  manifested  in 
the  repetition  of  a  worn-out  selection 
which  the  others  already  know.  For 
some  good  end,  recognized  by  himself 
as  worthy,  the  child  reads  now.  The 
introduction  of  opportunities  for  indi- 
vidual reading,  as  early  as  may  be,  thus 
proves  an  incentive  to  study  and  a 
means  of  rapid  advancement.  Cuttings 
from  papers  and  magazines  and  collec- 
tions of  children's  books  prove  most 
helpful  at  this  stage,  affording  a  prize 


102  Reading:   How  to  Teach  It. 

for  attainment,  as  well  as  an  evident  test 
of  progress. 

The  foregoing  has  been  written  with 
special  reference  to  beginners  in  reading. 
As  pupils  advance  in  their  grades,  the 
study  of  the  reading  becomes  even  more 
necessary  and  may  be  made  the  more 
profitable. 

All  that  has  been  said  of  younger 
readers  applies  equally  to  older  pupils. 
The  test  of  the  ability  to  study  is  the 
power  to  judge  rightly  where  the  limit 
of  one's  knowledge  appears. 

As  soon  as  the  pupil  can  point  out 
the  obstacle  which  hinders  his  under- 
standing, he  is  ready  to  be  taught.  A 
single  word,  a  question,  a  suggestion 
from  the  teacher,  removes  his  difficulty. 
He  recognizes  his  need  and  desires  help, 
— therefore  listens  attentively  and  intel- 
ligently. 

At  this  stage  he  is  enabled,  also,  to 


The  Study  of  the  Lesson.    103 

help  himself,  since  he  is  prepared  to 
use  the  dictionary  and  other  reference 
books. 

Older  students  should  read  with  the 
help  of  the  dictionary.  They  should,  of 
course,  be  taught  how  to  use  it,  just  as 
they  are  taught  to  interpret  any  other 
book.  Its  use  is  discussed  at  length  in 
another  chapter. 


And  this  our  life  »        . 

Finds  tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the  running 

brooks, 

Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  everything. 
—  WILLIAM  SHAKESPEARE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

LANGUAGE  LESSONS  AS  A  PREPARATION 
FOR   READING   LESSONS. 

r  I  AVO  problems  confront  the  teacher 
1  of  little  children  in  the  ordinary 
schoolroom.  Children  coming  from  dif- 
ferent homes,  with  various  training  and 
environment,  do  not  always  bring  a  com- 
mon fund  of  knowledge.  Unaccustomed 
to  the  strange  surroundings  and  the  new 
regime,  they  are  not  always  free  in  telling 
what  they  know.  The  teacher  needs  to 
learn  the  "  contents  of  their  minds  "  (as 
the  present  phrase  hath  it),  and  this  she 
cannot  readily  do  unless  the  children 
converse  freely  and  without  self-con- 
sciousness. Talking  lessons,  or  lessons 


io6    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

whose  object  is  purely  to  help  them  to 
free  expression,  so  that  they  will  reveal 
their  experiences  to  the  teacher,  are 
very  necessary  at  this  stage.  These  les- 
sons will  have  a  further  value  if  they 
help  the  children  to  new  interests,  and  to 
new  knowledge.  They  will  also  be  more 
valuable  if  the  teacher  recognizes  a  defi- 
nite purpose  and  forms  a  definite  plan 
for  the  lesson. 

Again,  the  simplest  reading  lesson  de- 
velops the  fact  that,  inasmuch  as  the 
children's  experiences  have  been  varied, 
their  corresponding  fund  of  ideas  is 
widely  different.  Any  new  lesson  may 
present  ideas  entirely  foreign  to  the  ex- 
perience of  the  children.  The  words 
which  represent  these  ideas,  therefore, 
will  be  unfamiliar.  This  state  of  affairs 
necessitates  an  act  of  teaching  which 
should  precede  the  act  of  reading.  For 
example,  a  class  of  city  children  in  the 


Preparation  for  Reading.      107 

West  attempt  to  read  a  story  which 
deals  with  life  by  the  sea.  The  sound- 
ing sea,  the  rolling  waves,  the  whisper- 
ing foam,  the  rugged  rocks,  the  shining 
sands,  the  smooth  pebbles,  the  brown 
seaweed,  the  white-winged  ships,  the 
brave  sailors,  are  unknown  quantities  to 
these  children — entirely  foreign  to  their 
experience.  Clearly,  before  they  read 
this  lesson,  they  must  know  something 
of  the  life  and  scenes  which  the  lesson 
portrays.  The  teacher  of  children  who 
live  by  the  sea  is  not  confronted  by 
the  same  problem.  Her  children  have 
played  upon  the  beach,  have  gathered 
the  many-colored  pebbles,  have  built 
houses  in  the  wet  sand.  Ships  at  sea 
are  as  familiar  to  them  as  are  the  clouds, 
or  the  birds ;  while  many  of  them  have 
played  upon  the  decks  of  their  fathers' 
fishing-boats,  and  know  the  ropes  and 
spars  even  as  they  know  their  own 


io8    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

homes.  These  children  have  had  an 
experience  which  fills  the  lesson  with 
meaning.  The  inland  children  must  be 
taught  in  the  next  best  way.  Since 
they  cannot  go  to  the  sea,  at  least 
pictures  of  the  sea  may  be  brought 
to  them.  Shells  and  pebbles,  sea-ur- 
chins, starfishes,  and  seaweeds  will 
tell  their  story  of  the  far-off  beaches. 
Pictures  of  ships  at  sea,  of  rocks  lashed- 
by  the  waves  in  a  storm,  will  help  them 
to  imagine  the  conditions  which  their 
lesson  attempts  to  describe  to  them. 
But  the  wise  teacher  will  make  a  con- 
necting link,  in  some  fashion,  between 
the  experience  and  interest  of  the  child 
and  the  thought  suggested  by  the  story. 
Here,  then,  is  the  need  of  a  language 
lesson  which  shall  introduce  or  explain 
the  reading  lesson,  preparing  the  child 
for  the  new  thought,  or  recalling  to  his 
mind  the  almost  forgotten  experience. 


Preparation  for  Reading.      109 

The  everyday  experience  in  every 
city  schoolroom  will  serve  to  reenforce 
this  truth.  Many  a  city  child  has  never 
looked  upon  daisies  and  buttercups. 
Brooks  and  fields  and  trees  are  outside 
his  little  horizon.  It  is  idle  to  have 
these  children  pronounce  the  words 
which  stand  for  these  objects  unless  the 
words  call  up  pictures  in  their  own 
minds,  and  this  cannot  be  the  case  ex- 
cept as  they  have  some  experience  with 
the  real  things.  It  is  not  impossible  to 
bring  the  flowers  and  the  birds  and  the 
trees  within  the  experience  of  the  chil- 
dren. No  other  work  which  we  can  ever 
do  for  them  will  tend  more  to  their  fu- 
ture happiness  and  growth;  but,  aside 
from  that,  no  other  work  which  we  can 
do  for  them  will  contribute  so  generously 
to  their  growth  in  reading  power.  They 
cannot  get  the  thought  from  the  page 
unless  the  words  stand  for  something  at 


no    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

least  akin  to  their  own  experience,  and 
our  first  efforts  must  begin  by  occasion- 
ing the  experience  which  is  necessary  to 
the  interpretation  of  the  printed  page. 
As  a  means  to  good  reading,  then,  lan- 
guage lessons  are  necessary  for  the  pur- 
pose of  developing  ease  of  expression 
and  freedom  from  self-consciousness,  and 

leading  to  knowledge  which   will   serve 
/     I 

\  as   a   basis    for   the   new   thought   con' 

tained  in  the  lesson. 

The  subjects  introduced  in  the  earliest 
language  lessons  should  be  those  with 
which  children  are  ordinarily  familiar. 
All  country  children  are  somewhat  ac- 
quainted with  the  common  animals:  the 
rabbit,  squirrel,  cat,  dog,  cow,  mouse, 
etc.  They  know  something  of  the  oc- 
cupations of  the  people  around  them. 
They  have  watched  the  sunrise  and  sun- 
set. They  have  seen  the  boughs  of  the 
trees  waving  in  the  wind.  They  have 


Preparation  for  Reading.      1 1 1 

been  awakened  by  the  birds  in  the  morn- 
ing. They  have  cared  for  pet  animals 
at  home.  Many  city  children  have  had 
something  of  this  experience.  All  need 
to  have  it.  In  every  lesson  where  these 
subjects  are  introduced,  the  teacher 
should  be  assured  that  the  children  al- 
ready know  something  about  them.  A 
short  conversation  may  suffice  where 
the  objects  are  already  familiar;  where 
they  are  strange,  careful  lessons  should 
be  arranged.  The  cat,  rabbit,  dog, 
squirrel,  or  mouse,  can  be  brought  to 
the  schoolroom,  cared  for,  observed, 
studied,  discussed.  These  language  les- 
sons will  not  only  give  the  children  the 
knowledge  necessary  for  understanding 
the  lessons,  but  they  will  endow  the 
subject  with  new  interest,  and  add  to  the 
reading  a  sense  of  reality.  Children  who 
have  been  observing  the  squirrel  will 
read  with  great  zest  the  lessons  which 


ii2    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

reaffirm  what  their  eyes  have  seen,  or 
answer  the  questions  which  they  have 
asked,  or  tell  some  story  which  adds  to 
the  interest  already  evoked.  The  read- 
ing thus  becomes  an  expression  of  the 
child's  actual  experience  or  interest. 
It  is  no  longer  a  something  which  he 
does  simply  because  he  is  told.  He 
sees  at  once  the  fruit  of  his  labors.  He 
reaches  a  goal  which  seems  desirable 
from  a  child's  point  of  view.  He  recog- 
nizes the  purpose  and  meaning  of  the 
story,  and  works  to  dig  out  the  message 
which  the  sentences  contain  for  him. 
Everything  which  serves  to  make  the 
lesson  real  to  the  child's  experience, 
makes  a  permanent  addition  to  his  read- 
ing power. 

A  little  careful  study  convinces  us 
that  there  are  two  general  fields  which 
all  readers  must  explore.  The  subjects 
which  appear  and  reappear  upon  the 


Preparation  for  Reading.      113 

pages  of  books  have  their  source  either 
in__ oa£ure  or  in  human  experience. 
When  we  teach  the  child  to  read  books, 
we  must  also  teach  him  to  apprehend 
that  of  which  books  treat.  This  teach- 
ing will  necessarily  include  observation 
of  nature  and  observation  of  human  ex- 
perience. To  read  "The  Village  Black- 
smith "  requires  some  knowledge  of  a 
blacksmith's  work  and  its  associations: 
the  horse  and  his  shoes,  the  molten  iron 
and  its  action,  the  sounding  anvil  and  its 
use,  the  reason  for  the  "  honest  sweat " 
upon  the  brow  of  him  who  "  owes  not 
any  man."  Knowledge  of  nature  and 
knowledge  of  human  experience  are 
surely  needed  in  order  to  read  the 
thought  in  this  poem.  He  whose  ex- 
perience is  richest  will  obtain  the  rich- 
est harvest  from  this  field.  Any  act  of 
reading  will  teach  us  this  truth  with  re- 
gard to  our  own  experience.  It  ought 


H4    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

also  to  point  the  way  for  all  teaching 
of  children.  A  visit  to  a  blacksmith's 
shop  is  the  best  possible  preparation  for 
a  study  of  "  The  Village  Blacksmith." 
If  such  a  visit  is  impossible  (is  it  ever 
impossible  ?),  pictures  and  talks  may  help 
to  supply  the  need.  The  language  les- 
son in  the  one  form  or  the  other  is  nec- 
essary to  the  full  interpretation  of  the 
reading.  So  of  any  poem  or  story  which 
tells  of  the  life  of  the  farmer,  the  miller, 
the  baker,  the  sailor,  the  fisherman,  the 
shoemaker,  the  mother.  The  language 
lesson  which  serves  to  make  the  experi- 
ence real  to  the  children  helps  them  to 
understand  the  reading  lesson,  and  gives 
added  power  for  the  interpretation  of 
all  such  lessons  in  the  future. 

Such  language  lessons  should  not  be 
considered  as  something  added  to  the 
school  course.  They  are  legitimate 
reading  lessons,  inasmuch  as  they  pre- 


Preparation  for  Reading.      115 

pare  for  the  study  of  pages  which  would 
be  meaningless  to  many  pupils  without 
such  preparation.  The  teacher  will  of 
course  choose  her  own  time  for  such  les- 
sons. Often  they  are  given  in  connec- 
tion with  the  reading  lesson  itself.  A 
wiser  plan  ordinarily  is  that  which  allots 
a  specific  time  for  the  observation  or 
the  conversation  which  is  necessary  to 
explain  the  reading  lesson.  If  the  first 
period  of  the  morning  is  set  aside  for 
oral  language,  the  subjects  for  this  pe- 
riod may  be  easily  determined  by  the 
reading  lesson,  and  selected  to  accord 
with  and  prepare  for  it. 

A  few  illustrative  lessons  appear  in 
another  chapter.  They  are  intended  to 
serve  as  suggestions  merely,  for  those 
to  whom  such  lessons  are  to  open  a  new 
field.  It  is  believed  that  in  the  majority 
of  schoolrooms  such  teaching  is  already 
a  common  feature. 


And  to  get  peace,  if  you  want  it,  make  for 
yourselves  nests  of  pleasant  thoughts.  Those 
are  nests  in  the  sea,  indeed,  but  safe  beyond  all 
others.  Do  you  know  "what  fairy  palaces  you 
may  build  of  beautiful  thought,  proof  against 
all  adversity  ?  Bright  fancies,  satisfied  mem- 
ories, noble  histories,  faithful  sayings,  treasure 
houses  of  precious  and  restful  thoughts,  which 
care  can  not  disturb,  nor  pain  make  gloomy, 
nor  poverty  take  away  from  us;  houses  built 
without  hands  for  our  souls  to  live  in. 

— JOHN  RUSKIN. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

EXPRESSION   IN   READING. 

HOW  can  children  be  taught  to  read 
aloud  clearly,  distinctly,  and  with 
feeling,  so  as  to  clearly  convey  the  au- 
thor's thought  and  to  give  pleasure  to 
the  listener?  "  My  pupils  do  not  read 
with  expression,"  is  a  common  com- 
plaint. "  How  can  I  help  them  ? " 

Manifestly  the  first  requisite  to  read- 
ing with  expression  is  the  mastery  of  the 
thought  on  the  part  of  the  pupil,  and 
this  cannot  be  accomplished  without 
mastery  of  the  words.  As  has  been  said 
in  another  chapter,  children  should  be 
trained  to  study  in  such  a  way  that  they 


ii8    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

can  decide  for  themselves  what  words 
present  difficulties  to  their  understand- 
ing. When  the  pupils,  after  studying 
a  lesson,  are  enabled  to  point  to  the 
exact  words  which  are  obstacles  to  their 
thought-getting,  the  teacher's  labors  are 
minimized  and  her  teaching  is  at  once 
made  definite.  Such  study,  too,  leads 
the  pupils  to  more  thoughtful  reading. 
Since  they  must  weigh  every  word  in 
the  sentence  to  discover  its  meaning, 
they  become  accustomed  to  dig  for  the 
thought,  and  to  estimate  their  own  diffi- 
culties. By  this  means  they  help  them- 
selves to  the  mastery  of  the  thought,  as 
far  as  the  words  in  which  it  is  expressed 
belong  to  their  vocabulary. 

But  when  a  pupil  points  out  to  the 
teacher  the  words  which  mark  the  boun- 
dary of  his  understanding,  it  becomes 
her  duty  to  make  them  clear  to  him. 
This  is  a  fruitful  exercise.  The  child 


Expression  in  Reading.      119 

desires  to  learn  the  meaning  of  the  word 
which  has  blocked  his  way,  and  his  need  .  i 
of  it  makes  him  its  master  forever  after. 
It  is  only  in  this  way  that  words  are 
mastered.  It  is  idle  to  explain  a  list  of 
words  for  which  children  have  no  use  in 
the  expression  of  their  thought.  But 
after  the  study  has  revealed  to  the  child 
his  need  of  new  knowledge,  the  word 
fits  at  once  into  his  vocabulary  and  an- 
swers the  new  need.  The  teacher's  ex~ 
planation  not  only  suffices  to  make  the 
reading  plain,  but  it  increases  the  child's 
vocabulary  for  future  use. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  in  such 
exercises  that  the  word  is  not  always 
made  plain  by  simple  explanation  ;  illus- 
tration may  be  necessary,  or  some  entire 
language  lesson  like  those  indicated  in  a 
previous  chapter.  The  teacher  should 
make  mental  note  at  least  of  these  un- 
familiar words,  in  order  that  she  may  so 


I2O    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

direct  her  language  lesson  as  to  supple- 
ment her  teaching  in  reading.  She  is 
wise  if  she  keeps  a  notebook  at  hand  in 
which  these  lists  may  be  recorded. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that 
the  pupil  is  expected  to  master  the 
words  of  the  lesson  as  a  means  of  get- 
ting the  thought,  before  it  is  assumed 
that  he  can  read  with  expression.  But, 
having  prepared  himself  through  study, 
and  having  been  assisted  by  the  teach- 
er's illustration  and  explanation,  there 
should  be  no  hindrance  to  free  and 
natural  reading.  We  do,  however,  find 
expression  hindered  by  various  minor 
causes,  some  of  which  it  may  be  well  to 
discuss. 

A  frequent  occasion  of  indolent  or 
indifferent  reading  is  the  child's  feeling 
that  the  exercise  is  perfunctory,  one  of 
the  tasks  assigned  at  school  as  a  school 
duty,  but  having  in  itself  no  excuse  for 


Expression  in  Reading.      121 

being.  He  needs  to  realize  that  he  is 
delivering  a  message,  or  telling  a  story 
which  some  one  desires  to  hear.  It  has 
often  been  observed  that  children  read 
their  own  productions  with  marvellously 
good  effect,  even  when  they  stumble 
and  hesitate  in  the  normal  reading  exer- 
cises. The  reason  is  easily  discerned. 
In  the  one  case  they  have  something  to 
tell,  and  desire  to  tell  it.  In  the  second 
case,  the  exercise  is  one  in  which  they 
have  no  special  interest.  The  teacher's 
chief  endeavor,  then,  should  be  directed 
toward  inciting  in  the  children  a  desire 
to  communicate  thought.  This  may 
sometimes  be  secured  by  having  the 
class  listen,  with  closed  books,  while  a 
single  pupil  reads,  the  teacher  insisting 
that  he  shall  so  read  that  every  one  who 
listens  may  understand  and  enjoy  all 
that  is  read.  Another  help  which  has 
been  suggested  by  many  teachers  is  the 


122    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

practice  of  bringing  from  home  different 
short  selections,  which  the  pupils  are 
encouraged  to  read  to  the  class.  These 
selections  may  be  brief  and  simple — 
some  anecdote,  some  clipping  from  a 
newspaper,  some  phrase  or  line,  some 
conundrum,  which  has  interested  the 
child.  It  will  soon  be  discovered  that 
the  children  will  learn  to  read  well  only 
when  conscious  that  their  reading  is  the 
means  of  conveying  the  thought  to  their 
hearers. 

The  practice  of  consulting  reference 
books,  even  with  pupils  in  the  lowest 
grammar  grades,  has  a  reflex  influence 
upon  the  power  to  read  aloud  well,  since 
it  gives  to  the  pupil  something  which  he 
desires  to  read  to  the  others  and  which 
he  alone  can  convey  to  them.  This  de- 
sire to  share  what  is  read  by  becoming 
able  to  read  well  should  be  stimulated 
in  every  possible  way. 


Expression  in  Reading.      123 

Again,  ease  in  reading,  which  is  an 
important  factor,  is  often  prevented  by 
the  pupil's  self-consciousness,  which 
renders  him  timid  and  .awkward  when- 
ever he  attempts  to  read  aloud  in  the 
presence  of  others.  This  timid  self- 
consciousness  varies  with  different  indi- 
viduals, of  course,  and  it  also  varies  in 
different  classes.  The  teacher  is  often 
responsible  for  this  shrinking  on  the 
part  of  the  children,  although  it  may 
be  an  unconscious  responsibility  on  her 
part.  Undue  criticism  of  the  reader, 
which  draws  the  attention  of  the  class 
to  his  faults  and  makes  him  conscious 
of  himself,  often  prevents  the  very  thing 
which  the  teacher  is  striving  to  obtain. 
The  pupil's  thought  should  be  drawn 
away  from  himself  and  centred  upon 
the  thought  in  the  sentence,  the  mes- 
sage which  he  is  to  deliver.  The  ques- 
tion should  be  directed  toward  that, 


124    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

rather  than  toward  the  pupil's  idiosyn- 
crasies. 

This  is  coupled  with  another  serious 
consideration.  It  has  just  been  said 
that  the  child  cannot  read  with  expres- 
sion if  he  is  thinking  about  himself.  It 
is  also  true  that  he  cannot  read  well  ex- 
cept as  his  mind  is  centred  upon  the 
subject  about  which  he  is  reading.  The 
teacher's  efforts  should  be  in  the  direc- 
tion of  picturing  the  scene  which  the 
child  describes,  so  that  it  will  become 
real  to  him,  and  that  he  may  be  enabled 
to  paint  it  to  the  class.  She  not  only 
will  endeavor  to  refrain  from  drawing 
the  pupil's  attention  to  himself  by  ill- 
chosen  comments,  but  she  will  also  help 
him  to  imagine  the  thing  described  and 
to  fix  his  thought  upon  it.  For  the 
time  being  everything  else  is  forgotten. 

Let  us  suppose  that  a  class  is  read- 
ing "  Paul  Revere's  Ride  ": 


Expression  in  Reading.      125 

Meanwhile,  impatient  to  mount  and  ride, 
Booted  and  spurred,  with  a  heavy  stride 
On  the  opposite  shore  walked  Paul  Revere. 
Now  he  patted  his  horse's  side, 
Now  gazed  at  the  landscape  far  and  near, 
Then,  impetuous,  stamped  the  earth, 
And  turned  and  tightened  his  saddle-girth ; 
But  mostly  he  watched  with  eager  search 
The  belfry-tower  of  the  Old  North  Church, 
As  it  rose  above  the  graves  on  the  hill, 
Lonely  and  spectral  and  sombre  and  still ; 
And  lo  !  as  he  looks,  on  the  belfry's  height 
A  glimmer,  and  then  a  gleam  of  light ! 
He  springs  to  the  saddle,   the  bridle  he 

turns, 

But  lingers  and  gazes,  till  full  on  his  sight 
A  second  lamp  in  the  belfry  burns  ! 
A  hurry  of  hoofs  in  a  village  street, 
A  shape  in  the  moonlight,  a  bulk  in  the 

dark, 
And  beneath,  from  the  pebbles,  in  passing, 

a  spark 
Struck  out  by  a  steed  flying  fearless  and 

fleet: 
That  was  all  !     And  yet,  through  the  gloom 

and  the  light, 
The  fate  of  a  nation  was  riding  that  night ; 


126    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

And  the  spark  struck  out  by  that  steed,  in 

his  flight, 
Kindled  the  land  into  flame  with  its  heat."* 

If  the  pupil  is  to  make  his  hearers 
hear  and  see  Paul  Revere,  he  must  see 
and  hear  him,  too.  His  eye  must  be 
upon  the  belfry  tower  of  the  Old  North 
Church;  he  must  feel  the  loneliness  of 
the  quiet  graveyard,  the  fearfulness  of 
the  silent  way;  he  must  catch  the  gleam 
of  the  light;  must  watch  the  impetuous 
mounting,  hear  the  hurry  of  hoofs  in  the 
village  street,  and  realize  the  fatefulness 
of  the  hour  in  which  the  land  is  kindled 
into  flame.  Every  effort  should  be  cen- 
tred upon  helping  the  children  to  feel,  to  ; 
imagine  the  picture,  and  to  sense  its  } 
depth  of  meaning.  Say  nothing  now 
about  holding  the  book  in  one  hand, 
standing  on  both  feet  or  throwing  the 
shoulders  back;  but  stir  the  class  to 

*  Used  by  permission  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co. 


Expression  in  Reading.      127 

feel  as  Paul  Revere  felt,  and  to  tell  the 
tale  with  enthusiastic  pride.  Let  all 
the  questions  help  to  make  the  picture 
clearer  and  the  feeling  stronger.  Read 
again,  and  again,  and  again,  until  the 
message  becomes  most  familiar,  but 
with  every  reading  more  eager  than  be- 
fore. 

This  selection  emphasizes  the  need  of 
preparation  for  the  reading  lesson  out- 
side of  the  reading  class.  No  one  can 
read  the  poem  well  who  does  not  un- 
derstand the  setting.  The  story  of  the 
Revolution  is  essential  to  understanding 
the  poem.  Why  the  British  ships  were 
in  the  harbor;  why  the  country  folk 
should  be  up  and  in  arms;  what  pre- 
ceded and  what  followed  the  fateful 
ride;  the  scene  of  the  poem — the  bel- 
fry, the  church,  the  town,  the  river,  the 
harbor — must  be  clearly  in  mind.  The 
background  of  the  poet's  picture  must 


128    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

be  drawn  before  the  children  attempt  to 
read  aloud  the  paragraph. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  picture  will  be 
most  vivid  in  the  minds  of  those  pupils 
who  are  most  generously  endowed  with 
imagination.  The  above  exercise  goes 
to  prove  the  need  of  some  attempt  on 
the  part  of  teachers  to  cultivate  the  im- 
agination of  the  children.  A  close  scru- 
tiny of  the  failures  in  our  reading  lessons 
would  lead  us  to  believe  that  it  is  to  a 
lack  of  this  power  that  we  may  attribute 
much  of  our  difficulty  in  teaching  read- 
ing. As  soon  as  the  children  picture 
the  scene  which  the  words  describe,  they 
read  with  interest  and  vigor.  Their  in- 
difference and  heaviness  are  largely  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  words  suggest  no 
picture  to  them. 

This  faculty  might  be  developed,  in 
some  degree,  by  frequent  conversations 
which  necessitate  the  children's  picturing 


Expression  in  Reading.      129 

or  imagining  what  they  have  read.  The 
simplest  primer  will  lend  itself  to  this  ex- 
ercise. The  habit  of  drawing  the  picture 
which  the  sentence  suggests  is  a  further 
stimulus.  Reading  fairy  stories  or  stories 
of  adventure  may  help  to  stimulate  the 
imagination.  An  effective  aid  is  derived 
from  playing  or  acting  the  story  told  in 
the  lesson.  I  remember  seeing  a  pri- 
mary class  that  played  "  Hiawatha  " 
with  great  delight,  different  children 
taking  the  parts  of  Nokomis,  Hiawatha, 
Wenonah,  the  Pine  Tree,  the  Fir  Tree, 
the  Squirrels,  the  Rabbits ;  reciting  their 
parts  with  eager  pleasure,  acting  them 
in  the  most  unconscious  fashion,  and 
never  with  any  lack  of  expression.  The 
children  recited  with  ease  and  natural- 
ness and  vigor.  They  were  lost  in  their 
play,  which  was  very  real  to  them.  Not 
long  ago  I  visited  a  school  in  which  the 
children  had  begged  the  privilege  of  rep 

9 


130    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

resenting  the  dialogue  which  they  were 
reading.  They  assigned  the  parts  them- 
selves, improvised  simple  costumes,  and 
read  their  various  parts  with  great  ani- 
mation. The  members  of  the  class  who 
served  as  audience  listened  with  rapt 
attention,  very  unlike  that  which  is  or- 
dinarily accorded  to  a  rendering  of  the 
reading  lesson.  Through  the  play,  the 
lesson  became  vitalized,  it  was  made 
real.  It  did  not  occur  to  the  teacher  to 
suggest  inflections  or  pauses;  such  sug- 
gestions were  quite  as  unnecessary  as 
they  would  have  been  in  any  conversa- 
tion with  the  children.  These  things 
take  care  of  themselves  when  the  chil- 
dren have  once  been  overmastered  by 
the  desire  to  express  the  thought.  Nor 
will  it  ever  be  necessary  to  dwell  upon 
them  if  this  desire  is  created.  "  Seek 
ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall 


Expression  in  Reading.      131 

be  added  unto  you."  In  a  parallel 
sense,  if  we  once  inspire  in  the  children 
the  desire  to  convey  the  message  of  the 
text,  the  accessories  of  inflection  and 
tone  will  become  theirs.  It  cannot  be 
too  strongly  emphasized  that  these  lesser 
phases  of  good  reading  will  be  secured  if 
properly  subordinated  to  one  great  aim 
— the  desire  to  communicate  thought. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  a  question 
at  this  point.  '  Would  you  not  have 
any  vocal  exercises  to  help  in  securing 
expression  ?"  By  all  means,  but  not  as 
a  part  of  the  reading  exercise.  If  the 
exercise  shows  that  the  children  have 
certain  needs,  —  if  the  teeth  are  closed,  if 
the  pronunciation  is  slovenly  or  the  ar- 
ticulation  poor,  —  special  exercises  should 
be  planned  to  remedy  such  defects,  but 
these  should  be  given  as  exercises  and 
not  as  a  part  of  the  reading  lesson.  Sen- 
tences which  demand  clear  articulation 


132    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

may  be  pronounced  in  rapid  succession, 
or  sung  to  the  scale ;  selections  may  be 
read  from  the  farthest  corner  of  the 
room.  Exercises  which  stretch  the  mus- 
cles used  in  articulation,  exercises  which 
straighten  the  body  or  secure  ease  in 
posture;  breathing  exercises  and  their 
kindred, — all  are  helpful,  as  exercises, 
but  they  should  not  interrupt  the  read- 
ing. They  may  alternate  with  reading, 
and  prepare  for  it,  but  they  should  be 
considered,  as  they  really  are,  subordi- 
nate to  the  one  essential,  the  creation  of 
a  desire  to  read. 

'  Would  you  ever  read  to  children  in 
order  to  help  them  to  get  the  right  ex- 
pression ?"  is  a  question  which  is  fre- 
quently asked.  By  all  means.  There 
is  no  other  way  in  which  children  can 
form  an  ideal  of  good  reading.  Many 
children  hear  no  reading  in  their  homes. 
They  are  accustomed  to  monotonous 


Expression  in  Reading.      133 

speech  and  to  careless  articulation.  It 
is  necessary  to  read  to  them,  and  to  read 
well,  in  order  to  show  them  what  good 
reading  is.  A  further  advantage  of 
reading  to  the  children  is  to  show  them  ; 
how  much  the  teacher  gets  from  a  poem 
or  story  which  has  meant  little  to  them. 
Such  reading  should  not  lead  to  servile 
imitation  on  the  part  of  the  children;  ; 
rather  the  opposite.  The  teacher's  com- 
ments upon  the  reading  in  the  class  will 
readily  fix  the  seal  of  her  approval  upon 
individual  renderings.  "  Let  me  hear 
how  that  seems  to  you,  John,"  she  will 
say.  "  Mary,  let  me  hear  you  read. 
I  should  like  to  get  your  thought." 
"  Kate,  is  that  the  way  you  understood 
it  ?  Let  me  hear  you  read  it. "  I  have 
heard  a  teacher  request  one  pupil  after 
another  to  read,  waiting  until  the  inter- 
pretation which  was  like  her  own  was 
given  before  she  commended,  and  im- 


134    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

pressing  upon  the  entire  class  her  feeling 
that  such  reading  alone  was  correct.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  every  rendering  which 
was  given  was  as  good  as  the  teacher's 
— some  even  were  better.  The  reader 
must  interpret  the  author's  message  as 
it  appears  to  him.  His  reading  shows 
his  interpretation.  If  the  teacher  reads 
to  the  class,  she  shows  simply  what  the 
writer's  message  has  been  to  her.  In 
the  reading  lesson  she  gives  to  the  pupils 
the  opportunity  of  expressing  what  they 
themselves  have  read. 

In  reading,  as  in  everything  else,  ease 
comes  with  practice.  The  class  should 
have  two  varieties  of  practice.  They 
should  read  and  re-read  a  few  selections 
which  demand  variety  in  expression; 
and  they  should  read  many  easy  selec- 
tions which  require  very  little  effort  in 
mastering.  If  the  exercise  is  difficult 
enough  to  demand  study,  it  will  neces- 


Expression  in  Reading.      135 

sitate  hesitation  if  read  at  sight.  Such 
attempts  at  sight  reading,  with  too  diffi- 
cult matter,  will  result  in  the  habit  of 
stumbling.  Children  should  have  an 
opportunity  to  overcome  by  study  the 
difficulties  which  would  otherwise  make 
them  hesitate  in  reading.  All  sight 
reading,  so  called,  should  be  easy  enough 
to  be  read  fluently  at  sight. 

The  old-fashioned  custom   of  setting  i 
apart  Friday  afternoons  for  reading,  reci- ; 
tation,  and    declamation    should   be  re-' 
vived.     The     exercise     was     admirable, 
giving  the  children  confidence  in  reading 
and  speaking  which  resulted  in  ease  and 
fluency.     It  was  a  helpful  adjunct  to  the 
reading  class  and  deserves  to  be  honored 
in  the  observance. 

It  may  be  well  to  suggest,  in  this  con- 
nection, that  the  habit  of  reading  with 
free  and  individual  expression  is  seri- 
ously hindered  by  the  practice  of  concert 

J  S  L 


136    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

reading.  If  the  teachers  who  pursue 
that  practice  were  to  attempt  occasion- 
ally to  read  aloud  in  company  with 
others,  they  would  discover  the  difficul- 
ties under  which  the  children  labor. 
The  practice  works  in  direct  opposition 
to  the  exercises  which  have  been  ad- 
vised. It  is  impossible  for  the  child  to 
give  his  individual  rendering  in  a  con- 
cert recitation.  He  cannot  even  read  at 
his  individual  rate;  he  must  wait  for  his 
neighbor.  His  words  drag,  his  voice  be- 
comes strained  and  unnatural,  the  exer- 
cise assumes  the  schoolroom  tone,  and 
\ 

the  children  adopt  the  swinging  rhythm 
of  the  singsong.  A  few  children  lead ; 
the  others  follow,  or  most  of  the  others — 
a  very  few  succeed  in  evading  the  reading 
altogether.  All  this  is  wrong.  It  jsjtjet- 
ter  for  the  child  to  read  once  alone  than 
to  read  ten  times  in  concert  with  others. 
It  is  true,  however,  that  there  is  one 


Expression  in  Reading.      137 

place  for  the  concert  reading.  When  a 
poem  or  paragraph  has  been  memorized 
by  the  entire  class  under  the  direction 
of  the  teacher,  they  may  learn  to  recite 
it  well  in  concert  without  the  disadvan- 
tages described;  but,  as  a  reading  fes- 
son,  the  exercise  has  no  place — it  should 
be  banished  from  the  school-room. 

One  word  more.  In  our  attempts  to 
teach  children  to  read  with  expression, 
we  may  be  helped  by  studying  to  learn 
what  selections  they  like  best  to  read, 
what  it  is  that  appeals  to  thenu  By  fol- 
lowing the  line  of  their  interest  we  may 
come  to  realize  why  selections  which  we 
have  chosen  are  difficult  for  them,  and 
through  making  a  wiser  choice  may  be- 
come more  successful  in  our  teaching. 
Here,  as  elsewhere,  it  is  the  intelligent 
study  of  the  class  by  the  teacher  which 
enables  her  to  apply  her  knowledge  of 
the  subject  which  she  teaches. 


The  highest  office  of  reading  is  not  to  open 
the  eyes  of  the  child  to  the  evolution  of  the 
material  world,  nor  to  teach  him  to  adapt  its 
resources  to  his  own  subsistence ;  he  needs  no 
books  for  that.  The  greatest  hunger  of  the  hu- 
man soul  is  not  for  food.  It  is  that  he  may  bet- 
ter understand  soul  motives  and  heart  needs; 
that  he  may  more  freely  give  to  the  heart-hun- 
gry, and  more  freely  receive  from  the  soul-full; 
that  he  may  live  out  of  and  away  from  his 
meaner  self;  that  he  may  grow  all-sided ;  that 
he  may  look  with  analytic  rather  than  with 
critical  eyes  upon  the  erring ;  that  he  may 
relish  the  homely  side  of  life,  and  weave  beauty 
into  its  poverty  and  ugly  hardships  ;  that  he 
may  add  to  his  own  strength  and  wisdom  the 
strength  and  wisdom  of  the  past  ages.  It  is 
that  he  may  find  his  own  relation  to  the  eternal, 
that  the  child,  equally  with  the  grown  person, 
turns  to  the  songs  which  ravish  the  ear  and 

gladden  the  heart. 

—  MARY  E.  BURT. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

LESSONS  TO   SUGGEST  PLANS  OF  WORK. 
I. — Lesson  upon  the  Cow. 

To   precede    or    accompany  Reading   Lessons 
which  refer  to  the  Cow  (in  lowest  grades). 

I.  Find  out  what  the  children   know   about 
the  cow. 

EVERY  new  lesson  should  be  built 
upon  and  fastened  to  the  chil- 
dren's past  experience.  If  they  have 
no  knowledge  of  cows,  we  must  intro- 
duce the  subject  accordingly.  If  they 
have  always  known  them,  the  lesson  will 
be  merely  a  review,  because  the  founda- 
tion will  have  been  prepared.  If  the 
children  live  in  the  country  and  know 


140   Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

the  common  animals,  proceed  at  once 
to  definite  questions  which  will  arrange 
their  knowledge  and  help  them  to  ex- 
press it  : 

Where  have  you  seen  cows  ?  What 
do  you  know  about  them — their  size, 
color;  the  head,  ears,  legs,  feet,  tail  ? 

How  large  are  they,  as  compared  with 
the  horse,  dog,  cat  ? 

Compare  the  covering  with  that  of 
the  horse,  dog,  cat.  Compare  the  parts 
with  the  corresponding  parts  of  those 
animals. 

Describe  the  horns.  Why  do  cows 
have  horns  ?  What  use  do  they  make 
of  them  ? 

Describe  the  ears.  Where  are  they  ? 
Does  the  cow  move  them  ?  The  ears 
of  the  dog,  cat,  cow,  horse  are  movable ; 
ours  are  not.  Why  ? 

Compare  the  cow's  nose  and  mouth 
with  those  of  the  cat  or  the  horse. 


Plans  of  Work.  141 

Does  anyone  know  anything  about 
the  cow's  teeth  ?  What  does  she 
eat  ?  What  kind  of  teeth  does  she 
need  ? 

Tell  the  children  about  the  chewing 
of  the  cud. 

Of  what  use  to  the  cow  is  the  long  tail 
with  its  brush  at  the  end  ?  Who  has 
seen  her  use  it  ?  Would  a  short  tail 
serve  as  well  ? 

Who  knows  anything  about  the  cow's 
foot  ?  Who  can  draw  a  picture  of  a 
cow's  footprint  ? 

Of  what  use  are  cows  to  us  ?  What 
does  the  cow  give  to  us  ? 

How  should  cows  be  cared  for  ?  What 
kind  of  stall,  what  kind  of  bed,  what 
food,  water,  pasture,  should  they  have  ? 
Describe  a  pasture  that  you  would  like 
if  you  were  a  cow.  Describe  a  barn 
that  you  would  like  if  you  were  a 
cow. 


142    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

How  ought  we  to  treat  animals  ?  Is 
it  right  to  forget  their  wants  when  we 
have  the  care  of  them  ? 

Every  lesson  upon  animals  should  help 
the  children  to  realize  more  fully  their 
obligation  to  properly  care  for  them. 
Sympathy  for  animal  life  ought  to  be 
developed  through  the  reading  and  lan- 
guage lessons.  Interest  in  animal  life 
is  always  present  in  children.  The 
questions  above  suggested  cannot  be 
answered  at  once,  by  any  ordinary  class 
of  children.  Many  who  are  familiar 
with  cows  in  general  will  be  unable  to 
answer  them  definitely.  But  the  ques- 
tions will  lead  them  to  more  thought- 
ful observation,  after  which  they  can 
report  in  another  lesson.  Sometimes 
the  subjects  may  be  distributed,  dif- 
ferent groups  of  children  being  held 
responsible  for  the  answer  to  a  certain 
question. 


Plans  of  Work.  143 

2.  Direct  outside  observation,  in  order  to  get 

new  knowledge. 

It  is  entirely  feasible,  in  many  school- 
rooms, to  make  the  study  of  the  cow  the 
subject  of  a  field  lesson.  The  children 
may  be  taken,  in  groups,  to  a  farmyard, 
a  pasture,  or  a  stable,  where  a  cow  may 
be  observed  and  studied.  Such  lessons 
have  ceased  to  be  formidable,  since  they 
have  become  so  common.  The  need  of 
these  visits  is  revealed  by  the  children's 
vague  answers.  Nothing  but  definite 
observation  of  the  real  thing  will  open 
their  eyes,  and  make  the  words  in  their 
lesson  full  of  meaning. 

There  are  many  city  children  who 
have  never  seen  a  cow.  If  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  take  them  to  a  real  cow,  excellent 
pictures  should  be  substituted.  Many 
of  the  questions  suggested  could  be  an- 
swered by  pictures.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered, however,  that  the  picture  tells  to 


144    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

us,  who  have  had  the  real  experience, 
much  more  than  it  tells  to  a  child  who 
has  never  had  that  experience.  It  is  not 
strange  that  a  boy  who  has  never  seen 
a  real  cow  should  imagine  that  animal  to 
be  six  inches  long,  the  size  of  the  cow 
which  he  has  known  from  pictures  in  the 
lesson.  Emphasize  the  fact  of  the  size. 
Allude  to  the  picture  as  a  picture  only. 
Have  the  children  show  by  their  hands 
how  high  a  cow  would  be,  how  long, 
how  wide  its  head,  etc.  By  such  means, 
help  to  vivify  the  mental  picture  which 
is  suggested  to  the  children  by  the 
lesson.  If  the  pictures  are  the  only 
avenue  through  which  they  learn  about 
the  cow,  do  not  attempt  to  give  as  much 
information  as  would  naturally  be  asso- 
ciated with  the  real  observation  lesson. 
Remember  that  the  amount  of  knowl- 
edge which  the  child  gains  is  not  pro- 
portioned to  the  number  of  facts  which 
• 


Plans  of  Work.  145 

the  teacher  enumerates.  He  will  intel- 
ligently appropriate  those  which  his  ob- 
servation and  thought  have  helped  him 
to  understand.  As  has  been  said  be- 
fore, this  truth  determines  the  value  of 
the  reading  lesson  to  the  child,  and  ne- 
cessitates the  associated  lessons,  which 
supplement  his  experience  and  enable 
him  to  bring  to  the  lesson  a  mind  fur- 
nished with  appropriate  ideas. 

3.   Tell  the  children  simple  facts  -which  they 
cannot  find  out  for  themselves. 

There  are  many  facts  associated  with 
the  cow  which  the  children  can  know 
only  through  others:  the  use  of  the 
horns,  of  the  bones,  the  hair,  etc. ;  the 
manufactures;  the  reason  for  the  cud- 
chewing;  the  making  of  butter  and 
cheese.  The  writer  has  known  class- 
rooms in  which  milk  was  skimmed,  the 
cream  churned  into  butter,  and  the  but- 


146    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

ter  eaten  by  the  children.  The  quan- 
tity, of  course,  was  small,  but  the  pro- 
cess was  very  real  and  very  interesting. 
This  happened  recently  in  a  kindergar- 
ten in  a  large  city.  There  were  only 
three  children  in  the  class  who  had  ever 
seen  a  cow.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
say  that  the  lesson  followed  a  visit  to 
the  cow. 

4.  Reenforce  the  lessons  by  stories. 

Stories  about  cows,  or  descriptions  of 
certain  animals,  perhaps  the  pets  which 
we  have  known,  will  add  interest  to  the 
lessons. 

5.   Collect  pictures  of  cows,  for  comparison 
and  description. 

In  almost  any  district  the  children  will 
be  able  to  help  in  making  collections  of 
pictures  which  illustrate  the  language 
and  reading  lesson.  These  pictures  can 
be  obtained  from  newspapers,  maga- 


Plans  of  Work.  147 

zines,  advertisements,  and  various  other 
sources.  Every  child  who  helps  to  swell 
the  collection  will  feel  an  added  interest 
in  it.  The  collection  will  be  valuable  in 
proportion  as  it  is  carefully  arranged  and 
thoughtfully  used  by  the  teacher.  If 
the  cards  are  neatly  mounted  upon  sepa- 
rate sheets  which  contain  the  name  of 
the  contributor,  and  distributed  amongst 
the  children  for  observation  and  com- 
parison, it  will  prove  really  helpful. 
Through  the  comparison  of  the  different 
pictures  many  facts  will  be  developed, 
suggested  by  the  children's  comments 
or  questions.  Such  teaching  will  be 
sure  to  fit  the  need  of  the  children. 

These  suggestions  will  be  modified 
and  arranged  by  any  teacher  who  desires 
to  use  them.  They  may  help  to  point 
the  way  for  those  who  are  not  entirely 
familiar  with  this  phase  of  their  work, 
and  so  lead  to  better  things. 


148    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

II. — Lesson  upon  the  Oak. 

As  in  the  previous  lesson,  the  teach- 
er's first  object  should  be  to  discover 
what  the  children  already  know.  Nearly 
all  children,  even  those  living  in  the 
midst  of  the  city,  have  some  opportu- 
nity to  see  and  study  trees,  and  their 
attention  should  be  carefully  directed 
to  the  trees  in  their  neighborhood. 

Have  you  ever  seen  an  oak  tree  ? 
Where  was  it  growing  ?  How  tall  was 
it  ?  (Compare  with  a  man,  with  a  horse, 
a  house,  with  other  trees.) 

What  do  you  remember  about  the 
size  of  its  trunk  ?  about  the  bark,  about 
the  leaves,  about  the  fruit  ? 

Bring  to  the  class  acorns,  leaves,  or, 
in  blossom  time,  bring  blossoms.  What 
is  the  use  of  the  blossom,  of  the  leaf,  of 
the  acorn  ?  Draw  them. 


Plans  of  Work.  149 

Plant  an  acorn  and  see  what  comes  of 
it. 

Of  what  use  is  the  oak  tree  to  us  ? 
(Do  not  forget  that  beauty  as  well  as 
manufacturing  is  to  be  considered.) 

Name  articles  made  of  oak. 

Bring  specimens  of  the  wood. 

The  older  pupils  can  draw  the  tree. 

Tell  the  children  about  the  Chartei 
Oak. 

Take  them,  if  possible,  to  a  field  or 
woods  or  park  or  street  where  they  can 
see  an  oak  tree  growing. 

Refer  to  the  lesson  some  weeks  after- 
wards, in  order  to  lead  to  continued 
observation  of  the  tree  in  different 
stages. 

Do  not  feel  that  it  is  necessary  to  do 
all  which  the  lesson  suggests,  with  every 
class ;  but  be  sure  that  the  children  have 
some  actual  knowledge  of  a  real  oak 
tree. 


150    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

III. — Lessons  upon  Occupations. 

Frequent  reference  is  made,  in  all  lit- 
erature, to  the  occupations  of  men. 
Even  if  this  were  not  so,  a  knowledge 
of  these  occupations  is  necessary  to  even 
a  fair  education.  Every  child  should  be 
intelligent  in  regard  to  the  work  of  the 
farmer,  the  miller,  the  carpenter,  the 
brick-layer,  the  engineer,  the  miner,  the 
merchant.  But,  be  this  as  it  may,  the 
pages  of  the  school  reader,  even,  will 
demand  some  knowledge  of  the  every- 
day occupations  of  men. 

Children  are  naturally  interested  in  the 
occupations  of  their  neighbors.  They 
like  to  see  things  made.  They  like  to 
know  why  certain  effects  come  from  cer- 
tain causes.  Nothing  could  be  more 
fruitful  than  a  visit  to  a  blacksmith  shop, 
a  new  house  that  is  being  built,  a  sewer 
that  is  being  dug,  a  cellar  that  is  being 


Plans  of  Work.  151 

laid;  to  a  ropevvalk,  to  a  mine,  to  a 
quarry,  where  real  men  are  engaged  in 
real  work.  This  natural  interest  of  chil- 
dren in  these  subjects  is  evidenced  by 
their  desire  to  "play"  the  miller,  the 
farmer,  the  driver,  the  boatman,  etc. 
We  do  well  when  we  build  upon  this 
natural  interest.  '  The  Village  Black- 
smith "  is  a  familiar  poem,  based  upon  a 
common  experience.  As  has  been  said, 
the  children  who  know  something  about 
the  work  of  the  blacksmith  will  enjoy 
and  understand  the  poem  as  no  others 
can.  Ask  them  to  go  to  a  blacksmith, 
and  then  to  report ;  or  go  with  a  class  of 
children,  and  help  them  to  observe  and 
to  question.  The  blacksmith  will  be 
helpful  and  generous  if  he  is  courte- 
ously requested  to  give  his  aid  to  the 
children.  Prepare  them  for  the  lesson 
by  a  preliminary  talk  about  the  black- 
smith, his  work,  the  need  of  his  work; 


152    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

his  tools,  the  material  with  which  he 
works;  the  source  from  which  iron  is 
obtained,  the  process  by  which  steel  is 
made.  Having  prepared  the  children  to 
observe,  assign  questions  or  topics  upon 
which  they  are  to  report :  the  anvil,  the 
forge,  the  sledge,  the  bellows,  the  horse- 
shoe, etc.  Upon  returning  from  the  vis- 
it, allow  the  different  pupils  to  tell  what 
they  have  seen.  After  the  general  con- 
versation, insist  upon  an  orderly  de- 
scription. 

Kindred  lessons  may  be  given  upon 
the  other  occupations  suggested.  In 
many  cases,  stories  can  be  told,  or  read, 
which  will  reenforce  the  observation. 
It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  one  result 
of  the  lessons  should  be  a  sincere  respect 
for  honest  toil,  and  sturdy  pride  in 
ability  to  do  honest  work  well.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  visit  to 
the  blacksmith's  shop  will  reenforce  the 


Plans  of  Work.  153 

reading,  and  that  a  study  of  Longfel- 
low's poem  will  in  turn  make  the  visit 
more  valuable.  The  language  lesson 
will  help  the  reading  lesson  because  it 
adds  interest;  it  will  also  help  the  les- 
son as  literature,  because  it  gives  fuller 
power  of  interpretation,  and  correspond- 
ing appreciation  of  the  poem.  All  these 
lessons  will  be  made  more  valuable  by 
the  use  of  collections  of  pictures. 

IV.— Rain. 

For  Second  Grade. 
Observation  during  a  Rainfall. 

What  is  rain  ? 

Where  does  it  come  from  ? 

How  did  it  get  there  ? 

Experiment  later,  if  the  children  be- 
come interested  in  the  question,  but  do 
not  answer  it  for  them  now;  let  them 
question  and  think. 


154    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

Upon  which  windows  does  it  fall  ? 

Why  not  upon  the  opposite  windows? 

Where  does  it  go  ? 

What  good  will  it  do  ? 

What  harm  will  it  do  ? 

Think  what  the  rain  does  for  the 
trees. 

How  do  you  know  ? 

What  does  it  do  for  the  birds  ? 

How  do  you  know  ? 

What  does  it  do  for  the  flowers  ? 

How  do  you  know  ? 

What  does  it  do  for  you  ? 

If  no  rain  were  to  fall  for  three  or  four 
months,  what  would  happen  to  the 
flowers  ? 

To  the  grass  ? 

To  the  gardens  ? 

To  the  brooks  ? 

Would  it  make  any  difference  to  you  ? 

Experiment :  Breathe  upon  the  cold 
glass ;  show  condensed  vapor. 


Plans  of  Work.  155 

Boil  water;  collect  vapor  on  cold  sur- 
face. 

Recall  vapor  on  windows. 

Recall  clothes  drying. 

Recall  windows  on  washing  day. 

Explain  how  fine  particles  of  water 
are  carried  through  the  air,  and  unite  so 
as  to  be  seen,  when  cold,  in  the  breath, 
on  windows,  in  clouds,  in  fog. 

Explain  how  rainfall  is  caused. 

Read  "  Children  of  the  Clouds." 

Memorize  "Is  it  Raining,  Little 
Flower?" 

Read  to  the  children  "  A  Rainy  Day." 

Tell  the  story  of  the  drop  of  water  in 
its  journey  from  ocean  to  ocean  again. 


Oh  for  a  booke  and  a  shadie  nooke, 

Eyther  in-a-doore  or  out ; 
With  the  grene  leaves  whispering  overhedet 

Or  the  streete  cry  all  about. 
Where  I  maie  reade  all  at  my  ease, 

Both  of  the  newe  and  aide  ; 
For  a  jollie  goode  booke  whereon  to  looke, 

Is  better  to  me  than  golde. 

— OLD  ENGLISH  SONG. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

LESSONS  TO   SUGGEST    PLANS   OF  WORK 
— CONTINUED. 

I. — Lessons  on  Bird  Life. 

T^HE  study  of  birds  has  become  so 
1  common  as  a  part  of  school  work, 
that  suggestions  upon  the  subject  may 
be  trite  and  superfluous.  For  the  teach- 
ers who  have  not  yet  attempted  such 
study,  the  following  practical  sugges- 
tions may  be  helpful. 

All  children  are  interested  in  animal 
life,  but  few  city  children  have  more 
than  a  vague  notion  of  the  habits  and 
characteristics  of  the  animals  of  which 


158    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

they  read.  Not  long  ago,  the  writer 
chanced  to  hear  a  class  of  primary  chil- 
dren reading  about  the  hen.  The  exer- 
cise was  hesitating,  the  reading  dubious. 
Upon  questioning  it  transpired  that  but 
three  children  in  the  class  had  ever  seen 
a  live  hen,  and  in  two  of  these  cases  the 
hen  was  "  nailed  up  in  a  box  in  the 
market."  One  child  only  had  seen  a 
hen  walking  about,  and  that  was  in 
'  Tim  Jones's  Alley."  Obviously  the 
sentences  which  had  seemed  so  lumi- 
nous to  the  teacher  were  dark  to  the 
children. 

Such  experiences  are  not  confined  to 
city  children.  Wide  experience  has  dis- 
covered many  a  country  child  whose 
eyes  have  never  been  truly  opened  to 
the  life  about  him.  It  is  safe  to  assume 
that  any  class  of  little  children  will  profit 
by  the  lesson  which  increases  their  in- 
terest in  the  bird  world,  and  opens  their 


Plans  of  Work.  159 

eyes  to  see  new  beauties,  their  minds 
to  receive  new  pictures,  and  which  inci- 
dentally explains  the  pages  that  other- 
wise are  meaningless. 

For  such  preliminary  study,  the  best 
beginning  is  the  observation  of  some 
caged  bird  which  can  be  kept  within 
reach  for  awhile.  A  canary,  a  parrot, 
a  dove,  a  hen,  a  duck  will  behave  well 
in  the  schoolroom,  may  be  cared  for  by 
the  pupils,  and  observed  for  several  days, 
and  will  serve  as  a  centre  from  which 
new  investigation  may  radiate,  or  a  type 
to  which  all  new  bird  knowledge  may  be 
referred.  The  canary  or  parrot  will  be 
brought  in  its  own  house.  For  the 
others  a  dwelling-place  may  be  extem- 
porized. A  box  frame  may  be  built, 
open  on  all  sides,  and  covered  with 
coarse  wire  netting  or  netted  fencing; 
or  one  side  may  be  removed  from  a 
wooden  box  of  suitable  size,  and  net- 


160   Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

ting  be  substituted  for  it.  The  children 
should  be  able  to  watch  the  bird  as  it 
eats,  drinks,  walks,  or  flies  about,  and 
should  at  first  be  allowed  to  observe 
without  the  restriction  of  question  or 
recitation. 

The  conversation  of  the  pupils,  their 
exclamations  and  questions,  will  reveal 
the  best  line  of  approach  to  the  subject. 
It  will  be  found  that  their  chief  interest 
centres  in  the  actions  of  the  bird.  "  See 
him  eat!  How  fast  he  turns  the  seed. 
See  the  shells  fly !  How  he  spatters  the 
water!  Oh,  he's  washing  himself!" 
Such  are  the  free  comments  of  the  chil- 
dren. Let  thesedetermine  the  first  lesson. 

'  You  have  been  watching  the  canary. 
What  have  you  seen  him  do  ?  What 
can  he  do  that  you  can  do  ?  What  can 
he  do  that  you  cannot  do  ? " 

These  questions  cannot  be  answered 


Plans  of  Work.  161 

without  actual  knowledge.  If  the  re- 
plies are  written  upon  the  board,  it  will 
be  discovered  that  the  children  have 
added  definitely  to  their  store  of  knowl- 
edge, and  likewise  to  their  vocabulary. 

Another  conversation  may  compare 
the  cat  and  the  canary,  the  cow  and  the 
canary,  or  (a  very  different  exercise)  may 
note  the  resemblances  and  differences 
between  the  canary  and  other  birds  with 
which  the  children  are  somewhat  famil- 
iar. This  comparison  leads  to  observa- 
tion of  the  structure,  to  naming  and 
describing  the  parts  of  the  canary. 

'  The  canary  can  fly  because  he  has 
wings.  We  have  no  wings,  but  we  have 
arms.  The  cat  has  no  wings,  but  she 
has  two  forelegs."  So  the  comparison 
proceeds  to  head,  eyes,  bill,  feet,  until 
the  children  are  able  to  describe  the 
bird  in  clear  and  appropriate  language. 

Another  talk  compares  the  habits  of 


162    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

the  bird  with  those  of  the  cat  or  dog, 
and  leads  to  descriptions  of  the  nests, 
the  eggs,  the  home  habits  of  the  bird, 
with  the  rearing  of  the  young.  The  les- 
sons prepare  for  the  reading,  to  be  sure, 
but  this  value  is  incidental  only,  as  com- 
pared with  the  widened  interest  and 
growing  power  of  the  children  in  think- 
ing, seeing,  and  saying. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  keep  a  rec- 
ord of  the  words  used,  or  needed,  by 
the  children  in  such  lessons,  to  collate 
them  afterward,  and  to  discover  what 
proportion  of  the  list  of  words  is  in- 
cluded in  the  ordinary  stock  vocabulary 
of  elementary  readers.  Such  a  study 
would  reveal  to  any  intelligent  teacher 
the  close  relation  between  experience 
and  reading,  and  would  fully  justify 
the  plan  of  work  outlined  in  these 
pages. 

It  may  be  well  to  add  in  passing  that 


Plans  of  Work.  163 

such  a  series  of  lessons  serves  as  a  basis 
to  which  all  the  related  lessons  may  be 
referred.  When  the  children  read  about 
the  oriole  or  the  robin,  he  is  compared 
with  the  canary,  and  the  old  lesson  ex- 
plains and  reenforces  the  new.  The 
value  of  such  lessons  depends  upon  the 
teacher's  recognition  of  this  relation. 
The  children  need  not  know  the  skele- 
ton of  her  plan,  but  she  must  know  the 
end  from  the  beginning. 

II. — Study   of  "The  Builders." — Long- 
fellow. 

PREPARATION    FOR    THE    POEM. 

If  the  readers  are  young  children,  it 
would  be  well  to  prepare  for  the  reading 
of  the  poem  by  a  lesson  upon  the  mate- 
rial building.  It  is  oossible  that  the  car- 
penters and  masons  are  already  at  work 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 


164    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

schoolhouse.  The  children  have  been 
interested  in  watching  the  digging  of 
the  cellar,  the  laying  of  the  foundation 
stone,  the  fixing  of  the  frame  in  posi- 
tion, the  building  of  the  walls.  A  little 
questioning  and  observation  will  lead 
them  to  see  how  necessary  it  is  to  the 
strength  of  the  building  that  every  part 
be  well  shaped  and  firmly  placed.  There 
may  be  unfortunate  examples  in  their 
neighborhood  which  show  the  folly  of 
dishonest  building.  They  may  easily  be 
led  to  realize  what  harm  may  result  from 
slighting  any  piece  of  work,  or  falsely 
covering  any  weakness.  Anecdotes  are 
abundant  to  illustrate  this :  the  bridge 
which  gives  way  beneath  the  weight  of 
the  passing  train,  carrying  hundreds  to 
death ;  the  dam  which  has  weak  timber, 
yielding  to  the  pressure  of  the  freshet ; 
the  elevator  which  falls  with  its  precious 
load.  These  point  to  building  which 


Plans  of  Work.  165 

was  insecure  and  treacherous.  For  the 
other  side  of  the  picture,  we  turn  to  the 
old  cathedrals,  showing  the  children  the 
beautiful  spires,  the  exquisite  carving, 
and  telling  them  how  they  have  endured 
through  the  ages  because  their  builders 
did  honest  work. 

Such  a  lesson  prepares  for  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  poem,  which  turns  our 
thought  to  the  building  which  we  are 
shaping  with  our  to-days  and  yester- 
days. The  lesson  of  the  unstable  wall, 
the  falling  bridge,  as  well  as  the  grace 
and  strength  of  the  cathedral,  serve  now 
as  a  parallel  for  the  poet's  teaching,  and 
the  inevitable  result  to  others  is  seen  as 
well  as  felt  when  we  read  of  the  "  broken 
stairways,  where  the  feet  stumble  as  they 
seek  to  climb."  After  such  lessons, 
every  line  is  filled  with  meaning  as  the 
children  read  and  re-read  the  inspiring 
poem.  Then  it  is  time  to  memorize 


1 66    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

every  line,  but  especially  the  two  stan- 
zas, 

"  In  the  elder  days  of  art, 

Builders  wrought  with  greatest  care 
Each  minute  and  unseen  part; 
For  the  gods  see  everywhere. 

"  Let  us  do  our  work  as  well, 

Both  the  unseen  and  the  seen  : 
Make  the  house,  where  gods  may  dwell, 
Beautiful,  entire,  and  clean." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  preach  while 
teaching  this  poem.  The  lesson  im- 
presses itself  upon  the  children  if  they 
are  rightly  prepared  for  it.  They  will 
make  their  own  application,  but-  we 
should  not  forget  that  a  valuable  les- 
son like  this  is  not  measured  by  ease  in 
recitation  or  accuracy  in  reading.  If  in 
the  days  to  come  the  memory  of  the 
poet's  words  gives  strength  in  the  hour 
of  temptation,  or  incites  to  honest  work 
when  the  hand  inclines  to  careless  shirk- 


Plans  of  Work.  167 

ing,  the  lesson  will  have  counted  for 
good.  In  selecting  our  poems  for  our 
children,  and  in  directing  their  reading, 
such  hope  should  guide  our  choice. 
The  words  of  the  poem  or  story  will 
recur  again  and  again  when  the  mem- 
ory of  the  schoolroom  has  faded.  We 
should  be  assured  that  the  minds  of  our 
pupils  are  furnished  with  thoughts  worth 
remembering.  '  Whatsoever  things  are 
lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  what- 
soever things  are  of  good  report,  if  there 
be  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise, 
think  on  these  things. ' ' 

III. — Study  of  the  Reading  Lesson. 

ILLUSTRATIVE    LESSON. 

LITTLE   BELL. 

Piped  the  blackbird  on  the  beechwood  spray, 
"  Pretty  maid,  slow  wandering  this  way, 
What's  your  name  ?  "  quoth  he, — 


168    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

"  What's  your  name  ?    Oh,  stop,  and  straight 

unfold, 

Pretty  maid,  with  showery  curls  of  gold  !  " 
"  Little  Bell,"  said  she. 

Little  Bell  sat  down  beneath  the  rocks, 
Tossed  aside  her  gleaming  golden  locks. 

"  Bonny  bird,"  quoth  she, 
"  Sing  me  your  best  song,  before  I  go." 
"  Here's  the  very  finest  song  I  know, 

Little  Bell,"  said  he. 

And  the  blackbird  piped ;  you  never  heard 
Half  so  gay  a  song  from  any  bird, — 

Full  of  quips  and  wiles, 
Now  so  round  and  rich,  now  soft  and  slow, 
All  for  love  of  that  sweet  face  below, 

Dimpled  o'er  with  smiles. 

And  the  while  the  bonny  bird  did  pour 
His  full  heart  out  freely,  o'er  and  o'er, 

'Neath  the  morning  skies, 
In  the  little  childish  heart  below 
All  the  sweetness  seemed  to  grow  and  grow, 
And  shine  forth  in  happy  overflow 

From  the  blue,  bright  eyes. 


Plans  of  Work.  169 

Down  the  dell  she  tripped,  and  through  the 

glade 
Peeped  the  squirrel  from  the  hazel  shade, 

And  from  out  the  tree 
Swung,   and  leaped,  and  frolicked,  void  of 

fear, 
While  bold  blackbird  piped,  that  all  might 

hear, 
"  Little  Bell  !"  piped  he. 


Little  Bell  sat  down  amid  the  fern ; 

"  Squirrel,  squirrel,  to  your  task  return; 

Bring  me  nuts,"  quoth  she. 
Up,  away,  the  frisky  squirrel  hies, — 
Golden  woodlights  glancing  in  his  eyes, — 

And  adown  the  tree 

Great  ripe  nuts,  kissed  brown  by  July  sun, 
In  the  little  lap  dropped  one  by  one. 
Hark  !  how  blackbird  pipes  to  see  the  fun  ! 

"  Happy  Bell  !"  pipes  he. 


Little  Bell  looked  up  and  down  the  glade; 
"  Squirrel,  squirrel,  if  you're  not  afraid, 
Come  and  share  with  me  !  " 


170    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

Down  came  squirrel,  eager  for  his  fare, — 
Down  came  bonny  blackbird,  I  declare  ! 
Little  Bell  gave  each  his  honest  share ; 
Ah,  the  merry  three  ! 

And  the  while  these  frolic  playmates  twain 
Piped  and  frisked  from  bough  to  bough  again, 

'Nealh  the  morning  skies, 
In  the  little  childish  heart  below 
All  the  sweetness  seemed  to  grow  and  grow, 
And  shine  out  in  happy  overflow 

From  her  blue,  bright  eyes. 

By  her  snow-white  cot,  at  close  of  day, 
Knelt  sweet  Bell,  with  folded  palms,  to  pray. 

Very  calm  and  clear 

Rose  the  praying  voice,  to  where,  unseen, 
In  blue  heaven,  an  angel  shape  serene 

Paused  awhile  to  hear. 

"  What  good  child  is  this  ?  "  the  angel  said, 
"  That,  with  happy  heart,  beside  her  bed 

Prays  so  lovingly  ?  " 
Low  and  soft, — O  !  very  low  and  soft, 
Crooned  the  blackbird  in  the  orchard  croft, 

"  Bell,  dear  Bell  !  "  crooned  he. 


Plans  of  Work.  171 

"  Whom  God's  creatures  love,"  the  angel  fair 
Murmured,   "  God   doth   bless   with   angels' 

care; 

Child,  thy  bed  shall  be 
Folded   safe  from   harm.      Love,   deep  and 

kind, 

Shall  watch  around,  and  leave  good  gifts  be- 
hind, 
Little  Bell,  for  thee." 

— THOMAS  WESTWOOD. 

The  poem  selected  for  this  lesson  is 
suitable  for  use  in  third,  fourth,  or  fifth 
grades,  although  even  younger  children 
enjoy  hearing  it  read.  Such  children 
would,  however,  find  difficulty  in  a  de- 
tailed study,  such  as  is  suggested  in  this 
exercise.  The  poem  may  be  used  sim- 
ply as  a  reading  lesson,  or  it  may  be 
read,  studied,  and  memorized  by  the 
pupils  as  a  language  exercise.  The  va- 
rious advantages  of  the  study  are  indi- 
cated in  the  following  suggestions,  which 
are  intended  to  indicate  merely  some  of 


172    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

the  different  modes  of  treatment  which 
may  be  attempted  in  language  teaching. 


THE    THOUGHT    IN    THE    POEM. 

As  in  all  lessons,  the  children  should 
read  the  entire  poem,  or  hear  it  read, 
before  any  detailed  study  is  attempted. 
This  is  done  in  order  that  the  poem  may 
be  presented  to  them  as  a  whole,  giving 
its  thought  or  telling  its  message.  After 
such  reading,  every  verse  and  word  will 
assume  its  rightful  place  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  story.  Otherwise,  given 
separately,  the  words  lose  the  meaning 
which  they  are  intended  to  convey.  A 
poem,  like  a  picture,  should  be  presented 
as  a  whole,  and  never  dissected,  in  the 
first  lesson. 

It  is  wise,  sometimes,  to  read  and  to 
re-read  without  note  or  comment ;  then 
to  lay  aside  the  book  and  leave  the  chil- 


Plans  of  Work.  173 

dren  to  recall  the  story,  and  to  accustom 
themselves  to  its  pictures.  At  the  next 
lesson,  the  teacher  may  question,  fol- 
lowing out  any  of  the  suggested  lines  of 
work. 

The  important  motive  is  to  get  the 
message  which  the  author  intended  to 
give  us  in  the  poem.  Everything  else 
must  be  subordinate  to  this  purpose. 
Any  supplementary  teaching  which 
draws  the  attention  away  from  the 
poem,  creating  a  separate  centre  of  in- 
terest, is  excessive.  All  illustration  and 
explanation  should  be  intended  simply 
to  throw  light  upon  the  poem,  making 
the  pictures  more  vivid  and  the  message 
more  plain. 

The  thought  in  this  poem  is  very  evi- 
dent, even  to  the  children.  In  the  first 
stanza  the  blackbird  on  the  beechwood 
spray  introduces  us  to  the  pretty  maid, 
"  slow  wandering  "  his  way.  She  is  little 


174    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

Bell.  Sitting  down  beneath  the  rocks, 
she  asks  the  blackbird  for  his  best  song. 
The  bonny  bird  pours  his  full  heart  out 
freely,  while,  in  the  little  childish  heart 
below,  all  the  sweetness  seems  to  grow 
and  grow,  and  shine  forth  in  happy  over- 
flow from  the  blue,  bright  eyes.  The 
squirrel  swings  and  leaps  and  frolics  in 
the  glade,  and  at  the  child's  bidding 
drops  down  great  ripe  nuts  into  her  lap. 
The  blackbird  pipes  to  see  the  fun.  The 
child  shares  her  treasures  with  the  squir- 
rel and  the  bird,  and  again  the  poet  tells 
us 

"  In  the  little  childish  heart  below 

All  the  sweetness  seemed  to  grow  and  grow, 
And  shine  out  in  happy  overflow 
From  her  blue,  bright  eyes." 

When,  at  close  of  day,  the  child  kneels 
to  pray  beside  her  snow-white  cot,  an 
angel  pauses  to  hear,  and  asks  what  good 
child  prays  so  lovingly  beside  her  bed. 


Plans  of  Work.  175 

The  blackbird  answers  from  the  orchard 
croft,  "Bell,  dear  Bell!"  "Whom 
God's  creatures  love,  God  doth  bless 
with  angels'  care,"  the  angel  murmured. 
"  Child,  thy  bed  shall  be  folded  safe 
from  harm.  Love,  deep  and  kind,  shall 
watch  around,  and  leave  good  gifts  be- 
hind, little  Bell,  for  thee." 

Even  the  little  children  sense  the 
meaning  of  the  poem.  They  have  al- 
ready learned  that  love  wins  love  and 
makes  friends,  and  they  feel  it  to  be  both 
natural  and  just  that  the  loving  little 
Bell  shall  be  shielded  from  all  harm,  and 
sheltered  by  loving  thought.  The  elder 
children  may  be  reminded  of  Sidney 
Lanier's  poem,  "  How  Love  Sought  for 
Hell,"  failing  to  find  it  because  wher- 
ever his  presence  came  there  were  kind- 
ness and  light.  The  little  ones  are  re- 
minded that  the  mirror  gives  back  smile 
for  smile,  and  frown  for  frown.  It  is 


176    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

hardly  necessary  to  "  point  the  moral 
and  adorn  the  tale."  The  poet  has  re- 
peated in  the  self-same  words  the  lines 
which  show  how  the  child  grew  in  sweet- 
ness as  she  played  so  lovingly  with  her 
woodland  friends.  For  many  classes  it 
would  be  enough  to  talk  of  the  poem 
until  the  children  were  possessed  of  this 
thought,  or  rather  this  feeling,  and  then 
leave  it  to  do  its  own  work.  In  this 
case,  however,  the  poem  serves  as  a 
text  for  the  lesson,  and  we  shall  consider 
other  phases. 

The  Pictures  in  the  Poem. 

The  poem  takes  us  at  once  to  the 
woods  where  the  blackbird  pipes  on  the 
beechwood  spray.  We  see  the  rocks, 
the  dell,  the  glade,  the  trees,  the  hazel 
shade,  and  are  made  acquainted  with 
the  blackbird  and  the  squirrel.  Plainly, 
the  setting  of  the  poem  is  clearest  to 


Plans  of  Work.  177 

those  children  who  themselves  have 
played  in  the  woods;  who  have  heard 
the  blackbird  sing,  and  have  seen  the 
squirrel  leap  from  bough  to  bough.  The 
beechwood  spray,  the  hazel  shade,  the 
dell,  the  glade,  the  fern,  are  already 
familiar  to  such  children,  and  need  no 
lesson  to  introduce  them.  But  if  the 
tenement  house,  the  narrow  alley,  the 
brick  walls,  and  the  noisy  street  have 
been  the  familiar  surroundings  of  the 
children,  and  if  the  country  seems  as  far 
away  to  them  as  Paradise,  the  poem  is 
written  in  a  foreign  tongue.  With  such 
children,  other  lessons  are  necessary  be- 
fore any  such  selection  is  read  or  mem- 
orized. These  lessons  may  not  be  given 
at  the  time  of  the  reading — far  better 
not ;  but  they  should  precede  the  read- 
ing in  the  teacher's  plan,  and  the  young 
reader  should  enter  upon  this  lesson 
equipped  with  some  knowledge  of  the 


12 


178    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

bird,  the  squirrel,  and  the  woods.  In 
another  chapter,  something  has  been 
said  of  the  necessity  of  such  teaching, 
and  of  the  way  in  which  such  lessons 
may  be  conducted.  The  suggestion  is 
made  here  simply  to  emphasize  this 
truth :  that  observation  of  nature  is  es- 
sential to  the  interpretation  of  literature. 

Study  of  the  Vocabulary  of  the  Poem. 

Although  the  pupils  may  be  prepared 
by  their  out-of-door  experience  to  un- 
derstand the  poem,  they  will,  neverthe- 
less, be  met  by  a  new  difficulty  in  the 
reading.  The  language  of  literature  dif- 
fers from  that  to  which  they  have  been 
accustomed  in  conversation.  The  ten- 
dency of  our  school  readers  and  chil- 
dren's books  is  often  to  remove  such 
difficulties  from  the  path  of  the  children. 
The  lessons  are  expressed  in  words  al- 


Plans  of  Work.  1 79 

ready  familiar  to  the  children,  and  in 
colloquial  forms.  While  this  practice 
renders  the  first  lessons  in  reading  easy, 
it  makes  the  entrance  to  literature  diffi- 
cult. Many  expressions  are  entirely 
foreign  to  the  child's  ear,  and  therefore 
unintelligible,  even  when  the  story  is  at- 
tractive. The  poem  which  we  are  using 
for  illustration  contains  many  words  and 
phrases  which  the  children  have  not  met 
in  their  ordinary  reading.  These  must 
be  explained  and  their  meaning  made 
familiar  to  the  children.  ' '  '  What's  your 
name  ? '  quoth  he  "  ;  "  stop,  and  straight 
unfold" ;  "showery  curls  of  gold"; 
' '  gleaming  golden  locks  "  ;  "  bonny  bird ' ' ; 
"  blackbird  piped "  ;  "  dell"  ;  "glade "  ; 
11  hazel  shade  "  ;  "  void  of  fear  "  ; 
"hies";  "  golden  woodlights  "  ;  "  adown 
the  tree";  "playmates  twain";  "an 
angel  shape" ;  "crooned  the  blackbird 
in  the  orchard  croft"  are  some  of  these. 


180    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

It  may  not  be  necessary  nor  wise  in 
most  classes  to  study  all  these  expres- 
sions minutely,  but  they  should  become 
plain  to  the  children  so  that  they  may 
plainly  speak  the  message  of  the  poem, 
and  present  no  difficulty  if  met  else- 
where. So  with  the  figurative  expres- 
sions: "  The  bird  did  pour  his  full  heart 
out  freely";  "the  sweetness  did  shine 
forth  in  happy  overflow  "  ;  "  thy  bed  shall 
be  folded  safe  from  harm  "  ;  "  stop,  and 
straight  unfold." 

There  is  no  reason  why  the  young 
readers  should  not  come  to  realize  the 
picture  in  these  figurative  expressions, 
to  compare  their  several  words  with  the 
figure  which  the  poet  has  used,  and  to 
begin  to  sense  the  difference  between 
the  plain,  straightforward  speech  and 
the  pictured  verses  of  the  poet.  Such 
study,  however  simple,  will  help  the 
children  to  some  appreciation  of  the 


Plans  of  Work.  181 

beauty    of     expression,    which    is    one 
charm  of  literature. 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  will  be 
rightly  judged  that  the  poem  affords  a 
basis  of  several  lessons,  all  of  value  in 
different  directions.  It  may  not  be  wise 
to  make  a  detailed  and  careful  study  of 
every  poem  which  is  read  or  memorized 
by  the  children,  but  some  teaching  in 
the  lines  suggested  is  indispensable  to 
intelligent  reading  on  the  part  of  the 
children.  The  phrases  which  are  so 
familiar  to  us  often  suggest  a  very  curi- 
ous idea  to  the  children.  This  inter- 
pretation is  shown  when  they  draw  pic- 
tures to  represent  the  scenes  of  the 
poem.  In  a  certain  school,  the  teacher 
read  a  story  to  the  children  containing 
the  expression,  "  his  mother  gave  him 
leave  to  go."  The  child  drew  tlie  moth- 
er in  the  act  of  presenting  a  leaf  to  the 
boy.  "  Fret-work,"  said  the  boy  who 


182    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

read  "  Sir  Launfal  "  for  the  first  time, 
"  fret-work  is  work  that  makes  you 
fret  "  ;  while  the  child  who  drew  the  pic- 
ture of  the  hare  and  the  tortoise  repre- 
sented a  turtle  and  a  boy  with  bushy 
hair.  Reference  has  been  made  else- 
where to  the  kid  on  the  roof  of  the 
house  which  was  pictured  as  a  little  boy ; 
and  the  writer  remembers  the  pictures 
which  were  drawn  by  children  in  illustra- 
tion of  the  above  poem,  representing  the 
angels  with  webbed  feet.  These  items 
are  intended  simply  to  suggest  that  the 
child's  crude  notion  is  often  very  differ- 
ent from  the  meaning  which  the  word  or 
phrase  conveys  to  us.  We  should  be 
grateful  for  the  frank  question  or  the 
crude  remark  which  betrays  the  child's 
mistake,  and  should  be  careful  to  secure 
such  confidence  and  freedom  in  our 
classes  as  will  enable  us  to  discover  what 
the  children  are  really  thinking. 


Plans  of  Work.  183 

After  reading  and  discussing  the  poem, 
the  children  may  memorize  it.  At  this 
juncture  it  is  wise  for  the  teacher  to 
read  it  to  the  children  again  and  again 
in  order  that  they  may  get  some  notion 
of  the  proper  reading.  The  children's 
recitation  will  incline  to  adopt  the  vir- 
tues of  the  teacher's  reading;  the  faults 
will  be  imitated,  also. 

If,  after  such  study  and  such  memoriz- 
ing, the  words  of  the  poem  appear  now 
and  then  in  the  children's  conversation 
or  writing,  let  us  rejoice;  for  this  means 
not  simply  that  new  words  have  been 
added  to  the  vocabulary,  but  that  the 
child  has  a  new  conception  of  beauty  of 
thought  and  speech. 


We're  made  so  that  we  love 
fttst  when  we  see  them  painted,  things  we 

have  passed 

Perhaps  a  hundred  times  nor  cared  to  see; 
God  uses  us  to  help  each  other  so, 
Lending  our  minds  out. 

—  ROBERT  BROWNING. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE   STUDY   OF   PICTURES. 

CHILDREN  delight  in  pictures. 
Every  child-lover  knows  how  in- 
tently and  with  what  delight  the  baby's 
eyes  gaze  upon  the  pages  of  the  beloved 
picture  book,  long  before  the  words 
which  describe  the  picture  can  be 
spoken  or  even  understood  by  the 
young  student.  The  childish  chatter 
is  an  attempt  to  express  the  delight  in 
the  treasure  and  the  thoughts  suggest- 
ed by  the  picture. 

As  the  child  grows  older,  pictures  con- 
tinue to  be  a  source  of  pleasure.  He 
names  the  familiar  objects,  talks  about 


i86    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

them,  asks  questions  about  them.  Thus 
he  unconsciously  grows  in  the  power  to 
see  and  to  tell  what  he  sees,  taught  by  the 
many  willing  helpers  who  turn  the  pages 
of  his  book  and  interpret  its  pictures. 

Many  a  new  idea  creeps  into  the  child's 
mind  by  the  path  of  the  picture  book. 
Many  an  object  which  would  be  entirely 
foreign  to  his  experience  otherwise,  be- 
comes familiar  through  its  pages.  Every 
new  book  put  into  his  hands  is  first  chal- 
lenged by  him  to  discover  whether  it  con- 
tains pictures,  and  it  is  the  pictures  that 
first  excite  his  desire  to  learn  to  read  the 
story  which  they  illustrate. 

We  cannot  estimate  the  contribution 
which  such  books  make  to  both  knowl- 
edge and  vocabulary.  Most  of  us  can 
think  of  scenes  which  we  know  only 
through  their  pictured  semblances,  yet 
seem  to  know  well.  We  can  remember 
our  first  glimpses  of  scenes  that  pic- 


The  Study  of  Pictures.       187 

tures  had  made  familiar.  How  friendly, 
how  well  known  they  seemed  !  How  we 
were  used\.Q  them!  Niagara,  Westmin- 
ster Abbey,  the  Pyramids,  the  Alps,  are 
known  to  many  of  us  only  through  pic- 
tures. Are  we  entirely  ignorant,  then, 
of  their  beauty  or  their  grandeur  ?  When 
our  eyes  first  look  upon  them,  shall  we 
not  greet  them  as  already  a  part  of  our 
possession  ? 

We  have  been  slow,  in  our  school 
work,  to  follow  the  teaching  of  chil- 
dren's experience.  Although  we  have 
always  known  and  always  recognized  the 
child's  interest  in  pictures,  we  have  not 
used  them  in  the  schoolroom  to  the  ex- 
tent that  they  might  have  been  used, 
nor  in  such  a  manner  as  to  yield  the 
greatest  advantage. 

The  writer  remembers  a  class  of  chil- 
dren in  whose  hands  were  placed  some 
new  readers  beautifully  illustrated  with 


1 88    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

full-page  pictures.  The  new  books, 
which  had  just  been  brought  into  the 
room,  were  given  to  the  children  with 
the  brief  direction,  "  Turn  to  page  85  and 
begin  reading  at  the  top  of  the  page." 

"  Theirs  not  to  reason  why, 
Theirs  not  to  make  reply." 

The  obedient  fingers  turned  to  the 
page  indicated,  and  the  curious  eyes 
were  allowed  no  moment  to  linger  over 
the  pages  which  tempted  them  with  their 
fascinating  pictures.  Yet  here  was  the 
"  Delectable  Land,"  which  might  have 
been  opened  to  them  to  their  lasting  ad- 
vantage. Here  the  children's  interest 
was  assured,  and  no  artificial  incentive 
needed  to  be  presented. 

Another  class,  under  similar  condi- 
tions, had  a  different  experience. 

"  Here  are  new  books,"  the  teacher 
said  to  the  children.  '  You  will  enjoy 


The  Study  of  Pictures.       189 

reading  these  stories,  I  know.  But  you 
will  find  pictures  in  them  as  well  as 
stories.  Before  we  read  let  us  look  at 
the  pictures  and  enjoy  them." 

The  children  eagerly  opened  the  books. 
They  found,  as  a  frontispiece,  a  copy  of 
Rosa  Bonheur's  "  Norman  Sire." 

The  children  talked  about  the  picture, 
compared  the  horse  with  horses  that  they 
knew,  admired  the  noble  head,  the  fine 
eyes.  As  they  turned  the  pages  of  their 
books  they  found  other  pictures  of  ani- 
mals, "  The  Lions  at  Home  "  and  "  Com- 
ing from  the  Fair."  Their  comments 
were  free,  their  questions  ready.  No- 
body thought  of  the  picture  as  a  picture. 
The  conversation  centred  about  lions 
and  horses  only,  and  expressed  the  chil- 
dren's interest  in  animals. 

It  was  the  teacher  who  called  the  at- 
tention of  the  children  to  the  name  writ- 
ten underneath  the  first  picture,  "Rosa 


190    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

Bonheur. "  This,  they  inferred,  must  be 
thenameof  the  one  who  madethe  picture. 

The  teacher  then  explained  that  the 
pictures  in  the  book  were  copied  from 
photographs  of  the  original  pictures 
which  the  artist  painted.  If  the  children 
were  to  see  the  painting  they  would  find  it 
colored  and  much  larger  than  the  copies. 

Looking  again  and  with  a  new  interest 
at  the  other  pictures,  the  children  dis- 
covered the  same  name  written  below 
them.  "  Did  Rosa  Bonheur  paint  this 
picture,  too  ?"  "  And  this  ?"  '  Did  she 
paint  any  others?"  "  Does  she  paint 
now  ?"  These  questions  answered,  the 
children  asked,  "  Who  painted  the  pic- 
ture of  the  little  girl  tending  the  baby  ?  " 
"  Is  this  the  painter's  name  under  the 
picture?"  "Yes,  Meyer  von  Bremen. 
On  this  page  you  will  find  another  pic- 
ture of  his."  The  children  found  the 
picture  of"  The  Pet  Canary,"  and  talked 


The  Study  of  Pictures.       191 

earnestly  about  it.  "I  like  that  picture. 
I  wonder  if  this  is  the  same  little  girl." 
' '  What  queer  chairs !  "  '  What  a  funny 
window!"  'This  girl  has  been  knit- 
ting, too." 

The  teacher  threw  some  light  upon  the 
German  interior,  explaining  that  this  was 
a  picture  of  a  home  in  the  country  where 
the  artist  lived.  Then  she  questioned, 
'  What  did  Meyer  von  Bremen  paint  for 
you  ?"  "  Children,"  was  the  ready  re- 
sponse. "  And  what  did  Rosa  Bonheur 
paint?"  "Animals,"  came  quite  as 
readily.  "  Do  the  pictures  tell  you  any- 
thing about  the  artists  ? "  The  children 
hesitated.  '  You  remember  '  The  Chil- 
dren's Hour'?"  suggested  the  teacher. 
"  You  thought  that  Mr.  Longfellow 
wrote  about  children" — "  Because  he 
loved  children,"  volunteered  a  child,  as 
the  teacher  paused.  "  I  should  think 
Meyer  von  Bremen  liked  children,  too," 


192    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

observed  another,  thoughtfully.  "And 
Rosa  Bonheur  must  like  animals,"  added 
a  third. 

They  turned  again  to  the  pictures, 
and  decided,  after  some  discussion,  that 
Rosa  Bonheur  not  only  loved  animals, 
but  was  able  to  make  us  love  them  bet- 
ter by  her  painting. 

The  books  were  closed  and  carefully 
put  away  till  time  could  be  given  for  the 
reading,  which  the  children  now  so  ear- 
nestly desired.  The  lesson  had  been  a 
simple  one.  To  some  casual  observers 
it  might  have  seemed  no  lesson  at  all. 
'Just  looking  at  pictures!"  But  it 
opened  to  the  pupils  a  new  line  of 
thought,  and  served  to  illuminate  both 
picture  and  text.  When  the  children 
read,  the  pictures,  now  made  to  interpret 
the  text,  themselves  became  teachers. 

Though  seemingly  incidental,  the  les- 
son pointed  toward  such  study  of  pic- 


The  Study  of  Pictures.       193 

tures  as  should  obtain  in  every  school. 
One  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  life  is 
the  delight  in  art,  the  creations  of  minds 
that  enjoy  the  beautiful,  and  know  how 
to  make  the  world  beautiful  for  others. 
We  have  learned  to  give  to  young  chil- 
dren the  poems  which  the  world  treas- 
ures. They  commit  these  to  memory. 
They  learn  to  sing  the  hymns  which  the 
greatest  of  musicians  have  composed. 
In  poetry,  in  music,  we  have  begun  to 
learn  how  to  teach.  But  should  we  not 
teach  the  children  to  know  and  to  love 
good  pictures,  as  well  as  good  poems 
and  good  music  ? 

In  too  many  of  our  homes  the  picture 
is  a  stranger.  Such  teaching  as  tends  to 
interest  the  children  in  the  picture  gal- 
lery or  the  art  museum  opens  another 
avenue  of  pleasure  and  profit,  adds  one 
more  resource  to  the  lives  which  must 
often  be  hindered  and  bound.  By  all 
13 


194    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

means,  let  us  begin  it,  and  learn  how  to 
use  the  wealth  of  material  which  lies  at 
our  hand. 

In  a  Boston  school  the  teacher  has 
established  a  loan  collection  of  pictures. 
The  children  have  the  privilege  of  keep- 
ing for  a  week  the  framed  pictures  which 
they  choose  to  carry  home.  They  learn 
to  enjoy  the  pictures,  and,  so  to  speak, 
to  read  them.  They  look  with  new  in- 
terest at  all  other  pictures  which  come 
in  their  way,  comparing  them  with  the 
ones  they  have  come  to  know.  They 
visit  the  art  museum  and  study  the 
original  from  which  their  pictures  are 
copied.  Their  lives  are  enriched  by 
such  teaching,  their  minds  are  furnished 
with  pleasant  memories,  and  their  love 
of  the  beautiful  is  set  growing. 

Such  study  has  a  legitimate  place  in 
the  school  curriculum.  Happily,  it  is 
now  emphasized  in  some  degree  in  the 


The  Study  of  Pictures.       195 

Drawing.  It  should  also  appear  in  con- 
nection with  the  Reading.  The  picture 
is  intended  to  throw  light  upon  the  les- 
son which  is  illustrated.  The  children 
should  be  taught  to  read  the  picture  as 
well  as  to  read  the  story. 

Geography,  as  it  is  presented  in  good 
schools  of  the  present  day,  well  illus- 
trates the  necessity.  The  picture  is 
often  a  photographic  reproduction  of 
the  mountain,  the  cascade,  the  geyser, 
the  surf.  The  text  describes,  as  clearly 
as  words  can  describe,  but  the  picture  is 
far  more  faithful.  It  brings  the  scene 
before  the  eyes  of  the  child,  while  words, 
misapplied  or  misunderstood,  often  build 
a  wall  between  the  pupil  and  the  scene 
which  they  attempt  to  portray.  If  the 
children  learn  to  see  all  that  the  picture 
contains,  they  are  helped  in  their  study 
of  the  text.  It  is  the  part  of  wisdom, 
from  the  teacher's  point  of  view,  to 


196    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

make  much  of  these  aids,  even  if  knowl- 
edge getting  is  the  one  goal  in  sight.  It 
can  hardly  be  doubted,  however,  that  all 
teachers  will  recognize  the  greater  need 
which  is  satisfied  by  such  instruction. 
To  know  and  to  love  these  things  so  well 
worth  knowing  and  loving  is  quite  as 
worthy  of  achievement  as  the  mastery 
of  equations  or  the  demonstration  of  a 
theorem. 

If  the  Drawing  does  not  admit  of  the 
teaching  suggested,  the  Language  Les- 
son, ever  hospitably  inclined,  may  be 
extended  to  include  the  study  of  the  pic- 
ture. Every  teacher  knows  best  what 
pictures  she  desires  to  present  to  her 
class,  but,  from  common  experience,  a 
few  inferences  may  be  made. 

Certainly  the  picture  chosen  for  initial 
study  should  be  one  whose  subject  is  in- 
teresting to  the  children,  a  picture  which 
represents  action  or  suggests  a  story. 


The  Study  of  Pictures.       197 

Such  pictures  are  Schreyer's  "  Imperial 
Courier,"  Meyer  von  Bremen's  "  Little 
Nurse,"  Millet's  "Angelus,"  Landseer's 
"  Saved."  After  the  children  have  be- 
come interested  in  the  picture  they  will 
wish  to  learn  who  painted  it,  just  as  they 
desire  to  know  about  the  poet,  after  they 
have  come  to  enjoy  the  poem.  Then 
they  are  ready  to  look  at  the  reprints  of 
the  other  works  of  the  artist,  regardless 
of  subject,  and  to  ask  questions  about 
the  artist  and  his  works.  So  the  inter- 
est deepens  and  the  study  grows,  follow- 
ing this  natural  order. 

Fortunately  the  abundance  of  cheap 
good  reprints,  and  the  careful  illustra- 
tion of  text-books,  place  the  means  for 
such  study  within  the  reach  of  every 
teacher  and  pupil.  It  will  not  be  long 
before  the  picture  will  take  its  proper 
place  with  the  song  and  the  poem  as  a 
factor  in  elementary  education. 


He  that  loveth  a  book  will  never  -want  a 
faithful  friend,  a  wholesome  counsellor,  a 
cheerful  companion,  an  effectual  comforter. 
By  study,  by  reading,  by  thinking,  one  may 
innocently  divert  and  pleasantly  entertain 
himself,  as  in  all  weathers,  so  in  all  fortunes. 
— ISAAC  BURROWS. 


CHAPTER   X. 

HINTS   FOR   READING   LESSONS. 

Words  at  the  Head  of  the  Lesson. 

IT  is  not  uncommon  to  find  the  lists  of 
words  which  precede  or  follow  the 
lessons  of  the  so-called  "  regular  reader  " 
used  as  the  only  basis  of  the  study  of  the 
lesson.  This  would  be  wise  if  the  lists 
enumerated  the  only  or  the  chief  obsta- 
cles to  the  children's  understanding  of 
the  lesson.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
they  must  vary  greatly  in  value,  some- 
times bearing  no  relation  to  the  real 
needs  of  the  individual  class.  They  are 
prepared  with  the  average  child  in  mind, 


2OO    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

but  as  some  one  has  humorously  said, 
'The  average  child  does  not  exist." 
They  may  prove  very  helpful  to  one 
class,  and  of  no  possible  use  to  another. 
Examine  any  such  list  with  reference 
to  your  own  class,  or  ask  the  children  to 
study  the  list  with  you.  You  find  that 
the  first  word  is  an  old  friend,  the  sec- 
ond is  made  up  of  two  known  words,  the 
third  is  unfamiliar  in  both  meaning  and 
form,  the  fourth  presents  a  variation 
from  the  ordinary  rule  of  spelling,  the 
fifth  and  the  sixth  are  easy  to  master  or 
are  already  well  known. 

After  such  a  survey,  the  thoughtful 
pupil  will  "  study  "  the  third  and  fourth 
critically  and  carefully,  the  others  hav- 
ing been  disposed  of  in  the  first  reading. 
Such  an  exercise  is  profitable,  deserving 
the  name  of  study.  The  routine  direc- 
tion, "  Study  the  words  at  the  head  of 
the  lesson  twenty  times,  and  copy  them 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     201 

five  times,"  leads  to  careless  droning 
over  the  page  and  ends  in  preventing 
any  intelligent  study. 

Reading  "  Without  the  Book:' 

A  visitor  in  a  primary  school  was  as- 
tonished by  the  rapid  and  fluent  reading 
of  a  five-year-old  who  delivered  "  The 
Story  of  a  Dog"  with  remarkable  ease 
and  precision.  ' '  May  I  see  your  book  ? ' ' 
the  visitor  asked.  The  little  lad  passed 
the  book  to  her  with  smiling  consent. 
"  But,"  she  exclaimed,  "  there  is  noth- 
ing here  that  you  have  read."  "  Dear 
me  !  "  cried  the  child,  looking  at  the  pic- 
ture, "  I  got  the  wrong  dog." 

The  writer  remembers  a  child  who  ex- 
plained with  charming  nai'vet6,  "  I  can 
read  my  reader  all  through  without  the 
book."  Upon  being  tested,  he  proved 
his  statement. 


202    Reading:   How  to  Teach  It. 

The  constant  repetition  of  the  pages 
of  the  "regular  reader"  soon  imparts 
this  fatal  facility,  which  often  com- 
pletely deceives  the  teacher.  The  abil- 
ity to  repeat  the  story,  word  for  word, 
does  not  necessarily  involve  the  power 
to  recognize  the  words  on  any  page. 
The  children  simply  memorize  the  sen- 
tences to  which  they  have  so  often 
listened,  and  are  reciting  by  rote,  not 
reading. 

Just  here  the  new  lesson  written  upon 
the  board,  or  the  supplementary  read- 
ing book,  is  effective.  The  new  ar- 
rangement of  familiar  words  demands 
thoughtful  attention,  and  serves  there- 
fore as  a  test  of  skill.  The  teacher 
should  guard  against  the  common  ten- 
dency to  use  a  single  lesson  until  it  be- 
comes useless. 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     203 

Word   Study   apart  from    the   Reading 
Lesson. 

If  the  words  which  occur  in  the  read- 
ing lesson  present  such  difficulty  to  the 
children  that  their  first  efforts  in  reading 
are  seriously  hindered,  it  is  wise  to  make 
the  word  study  a  separate  exercise,  pre- 
paring for  the  so-called  reading  lesson. 
This  preparatory  lesson,  often  called 
"  the  development  lesson,"  should  make 
the  pupils  so  familiar  with  the  form  of 
the  word  that  it  at  once  suggests  the 
meaning.  If  the  meaning  itself  is  new, 
there  is  need  also  of  the  explanatory  or 
illustrative  lesson.  It  may  be  wise  to 
repeat  the  suggestion  that  the  explana- 
tion does  not  always  explain,  and  that 
special  illustration  is  necessary  in  pre- 
senting new  ideas  to  the  children.  In 
any  case,  however,  the  time  taken  for 
"  sounding"  the  word,  or  the  necessity 


204    Reading :  How  to  Teach  It. 

for  explaining  its  meaning,  is  an  inter- 
ruption to  the  reading  as  thought  get- 
ting, and  should  be  reduced  to  the  lowest 
terms  in  the  reading  exercise.  The  bet- 
ter plan,  with  classes  of  young  children, 
is  to  arrange  a  separate  time  for  word 
study,  as  a  preliminary  to  individual 
study  of  the  lesson.  Where  it  is  possi- 
ble to  secure  the  necessary  time,  the 
order  of  the  work  might  be  as  follows : 

1.  Class  study  of  new  words,  with  ex- 
planation and  illustration  by  the  teacher 
when  necessary. 

2.  Individual  study  of  the  lesson   at 
desks,  or  "  busy  work"  employing  new 
words. 

3.  Reading  the  lesson  which  has  been 
studied. 

4.  Supplementary  reading,  sight  read- 
ing, or  review. 

This  plan  is  especially  adapted  to  the 
first  year  of  school,  where  the  time  is 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     205 

largely  given  to  language  and  reading. 
In  the  class  study  phonics  finds  its  proper 
time  and  place.  In  the  seat  work  chil- 
dren make  some  application  of  the  knowl- 
edge just  acquired.  When  the  reading 
exercise  takes  place,  the  time  should  be 
given  to  reading,  the  attention  being 
held  to  the  thought  in  the  lesson. 


Supplementary  and  Sight  Reading. 

The  supplementary  book  is  intended 
to  afford  variety  in  practice  for  the 
young  readers,  and  to  prevent  the  mem- 
orizing process,  with  its  hindrance  to 
reading.  Its  use  depends  upon  circum- 
stances. It  should  sometimes  be  used 
as  is  the  "regular  reader":  studied,  read, 
and  re-read — that  is,  if  it  is  worth  re- 
reading. It  may  be  given  to  the  pupils 
for  silent  reading  only,  or  for  individual 
reading  when  other  work  is  done.  Se- 


2o6    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

lected  lessons  from  the  supplementary 
reading  may  alternate  with  those  of  the 
more  familiar  book,  or  the  books  may 
be  changed  from  week  to  week. 

In  "sight  reading,"  so  called,  the  book 
serves  simply  as  a  test  of  the  pupil's 
power  to  read  at  sight,  without  definite 
preparation  in  the  way  of  study.  Such 
exercises  should,  of  course,  present  no 
new  difficulty  which  demands  study. 
As  soon  as  this  becomes  necessary,  the 
character  of  the  exercise  is  changed,  and 
it  becomes  a  "  study  of  a  lesson"  instead 
of  a  test  or  review.  The  teacher  should 
select,  for  sight  reading,  material  of  a 
simpler  sort  than  that  which  is  demanded 
in  the  current  exercises  in  reading  at  that 
period.  Second  Grade  classes  may  read 
First  Readers.  Third  Grade  classes  may 
use  Second  Readers,  and  so  on. 

Of  course  this  provision  becomes  use- 
less as  soon  as  the  pupils  have  passed 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     207 

the  "  learning  to  read  "  stage,  and  are 
reading  for  the  sake  of  thought  getting 
only,  without  reference  to  training  in 
power  to  read.  Then  the  supplemen- 
tary books  should  be  chosen  purely  with 
an  eye  to  throwing  light  on  other  sub- 
jects studied,  or  for  their  literary  value, 
and  pleasure  in  reading.  Mention  has 
been  made  elsewhere  of  the  value  of 
school  libraries  as  an  aid  to  the  reading 
habit.  Here  the  Supplementary  Reader 
loses  its  title,  and  advances  to  the  grade 
of  a  "  real  book. "  Now  the  cultivation 
of  the  reading  habit  and  the  love  of 
books  is  an  immediate  aim,  and  the  book 
ceases  to  serve  as  a  test  merely.  It  is 
a  means  to  an  end,  an  instrument  by 
whose  use  new  knowledge  can  be  gained 
or  the  pleasure  of  life  enhanced.  There- 
fore it  is  wise  to  spend  carefully  the 
money  devoted  to  books,  buying  few 
of  a  kind,  and  many  kinds  now.  For 


208    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

reference,  for  individual  reading,  for 
reading  to  the  class,  this  collection  of 
books  is  invaluable.  The  skilful  teacher 
will  plan  many  exercises  which  will  reach 
far  beyond  the  immediate  lesson  in  their 
beneficent  results. 


Reading  Poetry. 

Among  the  many  schoolroom  exer- 
cises which  yield  present  profit,  none 
other  continues  its  dividends  so  far  into 
the  future  as  does  the  intelligent  reading 
and  memorizing  of  a  good  poem.  It  has 
been  urged  elsewhere  that  the  teacher 
should  frequently  read  good  poetry  to 
the  children,  often  without  comment,  but 
sometimes  repeating  the  reading  again 
and  again,  until  the  children  become 
familiar  with  the  rhythm,  question  the 
meaning,  and  are  ready  to  memorize  the 
poem.  Such  exercises  are  immediately 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     209 

helpful  in  other  reading,  while  they  store 
the  sturdy  young  memory  with  treasures, 
promising  enjoyment  for  future  years, 
which  can  be  gained  in  no  other  way. 
Childhood  is  the  one  fit  season  for  amass- 
ing such  wealth.  It  is  well  for  the  chil- 
dren if  the  teacher  recognizes  this  op- 
portunity. Just  here  it  may  be  wise  to 
refer  to  the  interest  which  attends  such 
exercises  in  schools  where  every  class 
chooses  a  class  poet,  reading  and  mem- 
orizing selections  from  his  works,  and 
learning  something  about  his  life.  From 
the  lowest  to  the  highest  grade  this  work 
proves  helpful,  and  the  children's  associ- 
ation with  these  authors  is  never  forgot- 
ten. Something  the  memory  will  hold, 
do  what  we  may.  Let  us  supply  mate- 
rials worthy  to  endure,  preventing  the 
accumulation  of  stuff  which  is  not  merely 
of  indifferent  value,  but  is  often  positively 
harmful. 


2io    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

Friday  Afternoons. 

The  old  custom  of  setting  aside  a  part 
of  Friday  afternoons  for  declamation  and 
recitations  is  remembered  with  mingled 
feelings  by  the  pupils  who  shared  its 
advantages.  Nevertheless  the  custom 
should  be  perpetuated,  for  such  exer- 
cises afford  an  unusual  opportunity  for 
practice  in  reading  and  reciting  for  the 
sake  of  others.  To  read  aloud  so  that 
our  hearers  can  listen  with  pleasure, 
gives  us  the  power  and  privilege  of  help- 
ing and  pleasing  others.  No  life  is  with- 
out such  opportunities.  It  is  wise  to 
emphasize  this  accomplishment  in  our 
schools,  and  to  expect  our  pupils  to  be- 
come competent  to  render  this  service. 

Any  exercise  which  accustoms  the  chil- 
dren to  reading  or  reciting  with  ease, 
modesty,  and  simplicity,  in  the  presence 
of,  and  for  the  sake  of,  others,  adds  ma- 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     211 

terially  to  their  ability  to  make  them- 
selves agreeable  as  well  as  useful. 

The  special  exercise,  when  one  class 
entertains  another  class  in  the  hall,  or 
when  children  recite  for  the  audience  of 
schoolmates  and  parents,  differs  from  the 
ordinary  exercise  in  motive.  Why  should 
one  read  plainly  when  everyone  else 
holds  a  similar  book  and  is  reading  the 
same  paragraph  ?  But  to  read  to  those 
who  have  no  book,  have  never  read  the 
story,  or  really  desire  to  hear  it,  that  is 
another  matter. 

So,  with  no  artificial  manner,  voice, 
or  gesture,  but  with  a  pure  and  simple 
desire  to  please,  let  the  children  read 
and  recite  to  one  another,  or  to  other 
classes,  at  least  once  a  week,  until  the 
exercise  becomes  as  natural  as  breathing. 
And  let  the  power  to  thus  minister  to 
others  become  one  of  the  common  at' 
tainments  of  our  pupils. 


212    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

Children  as  Teachers. 

The  child's  interpretation  of  that 
which  he  reads  is  often  very  different 
from  the  teacher's.  Yet  his  rendering 
does  not  always  disclose  his  thought. 
Conversation  regarding  the  lesson  brings 
out  the  children's  notions,  if  there  is 
freedom  and  confidence  in  the  presence 
of  the  teacher.  But  nothing  else  affords 
so  much  light  on  the  subject  as  the  chil- 
dren's own  questions,  if  they  are  allowed 
to  question  one  another.  Where  the 
teacher  monopolizes  the  questions,  she 
often  monopolizes  the  thinking,  too. 
Let  the  children  act  the  part  of  the 
teacher,  and  as  they  question  one  an- 
other, their  own  ideas  will  appear,  while 
the  teacher  who  listens  thoughtfully  will 
be  able  to  teach  according  to  the  revela- 
tion which  she  hears. 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.    213 

Management  of  the  Reading  Class. 

The  abandonment  of  concert  reading 
at  once  necessitates  the  reorganization 
of  the  reading  class.  If  I  cannot  have 
my  children  read  in  concert,"  one  ques- 
tions, "  how  can  I  keep  them  interested 
and  attentive  through  the  long  reading 
hour  ?" 

The  way  of  escape  from  the  difficulty 
is  a  simple  one.  Do  not  expect  to  ar- 
range to  have  fifty  pupils  read  at  one 
period,  unless  there  is  some  work  worth 
doing  to  demand  their  attention.  The 
plan  of  work  will  vary  with  the  grade  of 
the  class  and  the  aim  of  the  lesson. 

Is  the  teacher's  purpose  to  introduce 
the  class  to  the  lesson  thought  ?  To 
teach  them  how  to  study  the  lesson  ? 
To  discover  what  words  or  phrases  or 
turns  of  expression  present  obstacles  to 
the  learners  ?  Then  fifty  may  be  taught 


214    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

and  questioned  as  well  as  one,  and  just 
as  long  as  general  interest  and  attention 
can  be  maintained — no  longer. 

Is  the  aim  of  the  teacher  to  afford 
practice  in  oral  reading,  by  drilling  upon 
the  rendering  of  a  certain  paragraph  ? 
Then  let  her  limit  the  class  to  ten  or 
twelve  at  most,  leaving  the  other  pupils 
to  busy  themselves  with  written  work 
which  admits  of  definite  accomplish- 
ment. All  pupils  become  weary  of  the 
countless  repetitions  of  their  mates,  in 
their  stumbling  practice.  They  learn 
chiefly  through  their  own  doing,  the 
correction  of  their  own  mistakes.  And 
while  the  drill  is  confined  to  the  few, 

"  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 
For  idle  minds  to  do." 

So  the  old  hymn  might  be  varied  by 
the  experienced  teacher  who  remembers 
unnumbered  cases  of  discipline  which 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     215 

have  arisen  from  the  monotonous  drill 
exercises  in  which  the  wits  of  the  major- 
ity of  the  class  were  unemployed.  By 
all  means,  in  such  cases,  drill  a  few  pu- 
pils at  a  time,  and  let  the  others  be  prof- 
itably employed  in  conscious  endeavor 
to  accomplish  something. 

In  older  classes  where  the  reading  has 
passed  the  elementary  stage,  and  the 
pupils  are  reading  for  information  or  en- 
joyment, neither  length  of  lesson  nor 
number  of  pupils  need  be  considered. 
Here,  without  doubt,  the  interest  in  the 
subject  will  be  paramount,  and  "meth- 
od "  may  be  forgotten.  Now  the  chil- 
dren read  for  the  love  of  reading,  and 
the  only  gauge  of  time  or  number  is  the 
teacher's  power  to  interest  her  class. 
The  one  aim  is  to  get  the  message  from 
the  book,  and  to  make  it  plain  to  those 
who  hear.  Desire  is  the  spur  to  en- 
deavor, and  attention  is  at  the  command 


216    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It, 

of  interest.  The  teacher's  one  secret 
is  the  art  of  making  her  pupils  book 
lovers. 

Concert  Reading. 

To  save  time,  in  the  hurried  day  with 
its  crowded  program,  is  the  teacher's 
constant  desire,  and  it  is  not  remark- 
able that,  under  pressure,  achievement 
is  measured  by  counting  the  minutes 
of  recitation  and  numbering  the  facts 
learned  or  the  questions  answered.  It 
is  a  common  error  to  assume  that  mere 
lip  repetition  is  valuable  drill,  and  that 
"practice  makes  perfect,"  even  when 
the  practice  is  indifferent  or  unwise. 
Quantity  is  carefully  measured,  while 
quality  is  ignored,  in  such  drill. 

To  this  mistaken  estimate  the  wide  pre- 
valence of  concert  recitation  is  due.  If 
thirty  children  read  at  one  time,  it  would 
seem  that  the  recitation  accomplishes 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     217 

thirty  times  as  much  as  would  be  accom- 
plished by  a  single  recitation  in  the  same 
time.  "  I  could  not  get  through  with 
the  lesson,"  explains  the  teacher,  "  if  I 
did  not  have  my  class  read  in  concert." 

The  theory  appears  plausible  to  the 
mathematical  mind.  Upon  inspection, 
however,  its  failings  appear. 

In  what  does  the  value  of  the  lesson 
as  a  reading  lesson  consist?  The  exer. 
cise  should  aid  the  children  in  getting 
the  thought  or  in  expressing  it  fluently 
and  naturally.  The  teacher  should  be 
assured  that  the  mind  of  every  reader  ig 
intelligently  active  in  the  thought  get- 
ting, and  that  the  practice  in  expression 
is  such  as  will  lead  to  independent 
skill. 

But  observe:  in  concert  reading  the 
individual  difficulties  are  "  skipped." 
While  John,  who  fails  to  recognize  a 
word,  falters,  hesitates,  and  halts,  Jane, 


218    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

to  whom  it  is  an  old  friend,  marches  tri- 
umphantly on.  John  takes  breath,  and 
plunges  in  again  when  his  stumbling- 
blocks  have  been  safely  passed  (by  his 
comrades).  John's  achievement  was 
nil,  likewise  Jane's,  for  she  knew  the 
word  before.  As  a  teaching  exercise, 
then,  the  concert  reading  is  ineffective. 
It  is  safe  to  assume  that  it  is  difficult  if 
not  impossible  for  any  teacher  to  know 
that  all  of  her  pupils  are  really  reading 
all  the  time  during  the  concert  exercise, 
or  that  a  seemingly  good  concert  exer- 
cise really  proves  that  all  the  members 
of  the  class  can  master,  or  have  mas- 
tered, the  lesson. 

Again,  as  a  practice  in  expression  the 
concert  exercise  is  harmful,  because  it 
ignores  the  individual  expression  and 
aims  at  an  average  movement,  inflec- 
tion, interpretation.  The  product  is 
not  the  expression  of  the  thought  as  it 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     219 

appears  to  John,  Jane,  or  Henry,  but 
.a  composite  which  represents  nobody. 
The  sprightly  Kate  must  wait  for  the 
ponderous  Phcebe;  the  slow-moving 
James  must  lag  behind  the  animated 
Jack.  Let  a  dozen  teachers  attempt  to 
read  aloud  in  concert,  without  previous 
common  training,  and  the  statement 
will  need  no  further  argument. 

To  the  writer  the  time  given  to  con- 
cert reading  in  the  elementary  schools 
seems  ill-spent.  Definite  teaching  and 
practice  are  possible  only  when  the  pu- 
pils are  considered  as  individuals.  Dron- 
ing and  indifference  are  cultivated  by  the 
concert  exercise. 

The  above  statements  apply  to  all  ex- 
ercises whose  object  is  to  teach  reading. 
Declamation  or  recitation  of  the  poem 
or  paragraph  which  has  been  studied, 
read,  and  mastered  by  the  individuals  of 
the  class,  or  which  presents  merely  an 


220    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

imitation  of  the  teacher's  reading,  is 
included  under  another  head.  It  deals 
with  known  material,  and  presupposes 
training  which  leads  to  a  common  in- 
terpretation. Such  recitation  partakes 
of  the  nature  of  song,  and  here  the 
power  to  render  the  thought  in  unison 
becomes  an  element  of  value.  For 
such  exercises  special  training  should  be 
given. 

In  schools  where  it  is  possible  for  the 
classes  to  meet  in  the  hall  for  morning 
exercises,  or  even  in  preparation  for  the 
devotional  exercises  of  any  single  class, 
such  training  is  indispensable.  To  know 
how  to  read  in  responsive  exercises,  to 
join  with  others  in  the  rendition  of  a 
favorite  psalm,  hymn,  or  other  poem,  is 
no  trivial  acquisition.  It  is  worth  while 
to  include  in  our  reading  exercises  such 
lessons  as  will  develop  this  power.  Does 
the  ordinary  concert  exercise  do  this  ? 


Hints  for  Reading  Lessons.     221 

"  My  country  tiserty, 
Sweet  lanter  libbutty," 

a  child  sang  happily  in  a  primary  school 
the  other  day.  Upon  investigation  it 
fell  out  that  several  members  of  the 
class  sang  the  same  combination. 

A  parallel  instance  was  reported  re- 
cently by  a  teacher  whose  pupils  begged 
to  be  allowed  to  recite 

"  There's  an  old  dude  left  on  the  daisies  and 
clover. ' ' 

Lovers  of  Jean  Ingelow's  exquisite 
"  Songs  of  Seven  "  may  well  take  alarm, 
and  inquire  the  cause  of  the  difficulty. 

Such  recitation  is  useless  so  far  as 
the  thought  in  the  song  is  concerned. 
No  time  was  saved  in  these  instances  by 
omitting  the  individual  recitation.  Indi- 
vidual mastery  of  the  selection  should 
precede  any  exercise  in  concert  reading. 


//  is  one  thing  to  own  a  library  j  it  is,  how- 
ever, another  to  use  it  wisely.  If  I  were  to 
pray  for  a  taste  which  should  stand  me  in 
stead  under  every  variety  of  circumstances, 
and  be  a  source  of  happiness'  and  cheerfulness 
to  me  through  life,  and  a  shield  against  its  ills, 
however  things  might  go  amiss  and  the  world 
frown  upon  me,  it  would  be  a  taste  for  read- 
ing. I  speak  of  it,  of  course,  only  as  a  worldly 
advantage,  and  not  in  the  slightest  degree  su- 
perseding or  derogating  from  the  higher  office, 
and  surer  and  stronger  panoply  of  religious 
principles — but  as  a  taste,  an  instrument,  and 
a  mode  of  pleasurable  gratification.  Give  a 
man  this  taste  and  the  means  of  gratifying  it, 
and  you  can  hardly  fail  of  making  a  happy 

man. 

—  SIR  JOHN  HERSCHEL. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

THE   USE   OF   THE   LIBRARY. 

In  my  garden  I  spend  my  days,  in  my 
library  I  spend  my  nights.  My  interests  are 
divided  between  my  geraniums  and  my  books. 
With  the  flowers  I  am  in  the  present ;  with 
the  books  I  am  in  the  past.  I  go  into  my 
library  and  all  history  unrolls  before  me.  I 
breathe  the  morning  air  of  the  world  while 
the  scent  of  Eden's  roses  yet  lingered  in  it, 
while  it  vibrated  only  to  the  world's  first 
brood  of  nightingales  and  to  the  laugh  of 
Eve. 

I  see  the  pyramids  building;  I  hear  th* 
shoutings  of  the  armies  of  Alexander;  I  feel 
the  ground  shake  beneath  the  march  of  Cam- 
byses.  I  sit  as  in  a  theatre;  the  stage  is 
Time,  the  play  is  the  World.  What  a  spec- 
tacle it  is  !  What  kingly  pomp,  what  proces- 
sions, file  past;  what  cities  burn  to  heaven, 


224    Reading :  How  to  Teach  It 

what  crowds  of  captives  are  carried  at  the 
chariot  wheels  of  conquerors  !  I  hear  or  cry, 
"Bravo!"  when  the  great  actors  come  on, 
shaking  the  stage.  I  am  a  Roman  emperor 
when  I  look  at  a  Roman  coin.  I  lift  old 
Homer,  and  I  shout  Achilles  in  the  trenches. 
The  silence  of  the  empeopled  Syrian  plains, 
the  outcomings  and  ingoings  of  the  patri- 
archs, Abraham  and  Ishmael,  Isaac  in  the 
fields  at  eventide,  Rebekah  at  the  well,  Ja- 
cob's guile,  Esau's  face  reddened  by  the  des- 
ert sunheat,  Joseph's  splendid  funeral  pro- 
cession— all  these  things  I  find  within  the 
boards  of  my  Old  Testament. 

What  a  silence  in  those  old  books,  as  of  a 
half-peopled  world  ;  what  bleating  of  flocks, 
what  green  pastoral  rest,  what  indubitable 
human  existence  !  Across  brawling  centuries 
of  blood  and  war  I  hear  the  bleating  of  Abra- 
ham's flocks,  the  tinkling  of  the  bells  of  Re- 
bekah's  camels. 

Oh,  men  and  women,  so  far  separated  yet  so 
near,  so  strange  yet  so  well  known,  by  what 
miraculous  power  do  I  know  you  all  ?  Books 
are  the  true  Elysian  fields  where  the  spirits 
of  the  dead  converse,  and  into  these  fields  a 
mortal  may  venture  unappalled.  What  king's 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     225 

court  can  boast  such  company  ?     What  school 
of  philosophy  such  wisdom  ? 

There  is  Pan's  pipe  ;  there  are  the  songs  of 
Apollo.  Seated  in  my  library  at  night,  and 
looking  on  the  silent  faces  of  my  books,  I  am 
occasionally  visited  by  a  strange  sense  of  the 
supernatural.  They  are  not  collections  of 
printed  pages;  they  are  ghosts.  I  take  one 
down,  and  it  speaks  with  me  in  a  tongue  not 
now  heard  on  earth,  and  of  men  and  things 
of  which  it  alone  possesses  the  knowledge. 

I  call  myself  a  solitary,  but  sometimes  I 
think  I  misapply  the  term.  No  man  sees 
more  company  than  I  do.  I  travel  with 
mightier  cohorts  around  me  than  ever  did 
Timour  or  Genghis  Khan  on  their  fiery 
marches.  I  am  a  sovereign  in  my  library; 
but  it  is  the  dead,  not  the  living,  that  attend 
my  levees. 

— ALEXANDER  SMITH. 

THE    Free    Public    Library   is   often 
termed  the   People's  College.     It 
is  established  by  communities  that  be- 
lieve education  to  be  the  foundation  of 
civic  freedom  as  well  as  an  element  in 
15 


226    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

human  happiness.  By  taxation  of  the 
people  these  treasures  of  books  are  made 
free  to  all :  the  richest  and  the  poorest 
alike.  Here  one's  scanty  library  is  re- 
enforced  by  full  and  rare  collections, 
and  the  entire  care  of  the  custodians  is 
to  make  this  treasure-house  useful  to  all 
comers. 

But  the  reports  of  the  librarians,  en- 
couraging though  they  be,  do  not  de- 
scribe a  state  of  general  reading.  A 
study  of  these  reports  will  reveal  the 
fact  that  only  a  small  part  of  the  ought- 
to-be  reading  public  finds  its  way  to  the 
library  and  uses  this  marvellous  oppor- 
tunity. 

If  we  question  why  the  readers  are  so 
few,  we  shall  doubtless  arrive  at  certain 
conclusions.  Aside  from  the  duties  and 
necessities  which  debar  many  would-be 
readers  from  using  the  library,  we  shall 
conclude  that  the  majority  of  persons 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     227 

not  illiterate  who  fail  to  avail  themselves 
of  this  opportunity  have  not  learned  to 
love  books ;  while  many  others  who  have 
had  considerable  reading  in  school  or  at 
home  have  not  learned  how  to  make  the 
stores  of  the  library  available. 

Enough  has  been  said,  perhaps,  re- 
garding the  necessity  of  teaching  chil- 
dren to  love  books,  to  the  end  that  they 
may  have  wholesome  interests  and  sim- 
ple and  natural  pleasures.  Books  reveal 
the  experience  of  others,  and  yield  to  us 
the  companionship  of  the  wise  and  good. 
Sympathetic  observation  of  the  lives  of 
boys  and  girls  who  have  not  been  trained 
to  this  larger  interest  would  drive  us  to 
renewed  endeavors  to  open  wide  the 
doors  to  them,  out  of  and  away  from 
the  temptations  which  allure  them  to 
lower  loves.  The  life  that  does  not 
know  how  to  find  pleasure  in  a  book, 
that  turns  to  the  saloon  rather  than  to 


228    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

the  library,  is  sad  indeed.  We  cannot 
urge  too  strongly  the  early  and  contin- 
ual teaching  whose  object  is  to  make  the 
children  book-lovers. 

But,  if  the  young  book-lover  appears 
at  the  library  door  and  fails  to  find  the 
clue  to  the  labyrinth  where  the  words 
which  he  desires  may  be  found,  he  may 
wander  away  again,  never  to  return.  If 
his  love  is  strong,  and  the  custodian 
learns  his  need,  he  may  study  his  way 
into  the  desired  paths;  but  it  is  evident 
to  all  readers  that  the  library  is  most 
available  to  the  best  prepared,  and  that 
the  vast  treasures  of  even  the  free  library 
are  worthless  to  the  ignorant.  Further, 
we  can  but  recognize  that  home  reading 
and  school  reading  do  not  always  qualify 
the  reader  for  study  in  a  library.  He 
must  be  taught  how  to  use  it,  and  some- 
body must  teach  him. 

Home   and   school  must  supply  this 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     229 

need.  The  wise  father  and  mother  will 
go  with  the  children  to  the  library,  and 
there  teach  them  to  use  books ;  while  in 
school,  the  teacher  of  reading  will  aim 
beyond  the  simple  mastery  of  the  text- 
book. No  longer  can  she  content  her- 
self with  guiding  her  pupils  through  the 
Fifth  Reader  from  page  I  to  page  256. 
With  her  larger  conception  of  reading, 
she  knows  now  that  her  pupils  must  be 
taught  to  unlock  other  books,  and  she 
sets  herself  to  teach  them  how  to  do 
this. 

But  how  ? — a  practical  question.  This 
chapter  would  avail  little  did  it  fail  to 
attempt  an  answer. 

First,  by  including  in  her  teaching 
such  lessons  as  will  show  the  use  of 
books  as  tools.  The  student  who  hunts 
down  a  subject  in  the  library  looks 
through  myriads  of  books,  but  he  does 
not  read  them  all.  He  learns  first  what 


230    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

books  are  likely  to  answer  his  question. 
All  other  books  he  excludes  from  his 
list.  He  learns  further  where  to  look 
for  aid  in  his  selected  books,  and  turns 
at  once  to  the  helpful  pages,  excluding 
all  others.  So  he  reaches  the  chapter, 
the  page,  the  line  which  contains  the 
desired  message,  and  achieves  his  end. 
The  untrained  worker  loses  himself  in 
the  labyrinth  of  books,  and  finds  noth- 
ing. 

Such  ability  to  use  books  is  not  a  gift ; 
it  is  earned  by  thoughtful  practice.  The 
power  to  use  reference  books  comes  only 
through  wisely  using  them.  The  art  be- 
gins with  the  use  of  the  dictionary  and 
the  supplementary  reader,  and  here 
should  the  teacher  first  apply  herself  to 
teach  the  use  of  books  of  reference. 

First,  as  to  the  dictionary.  All  gram- 
mar-school classes  should  be  supplied 
with  a  good  unabridged  dictionary, 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     231 

while  every  pupil  should  have  access  to 
a  smaller  one,  and  be  taught  to  use  it 
so  constantly  that  he  will  consider  it  an 
equal  necessity  with  his  pocket-knife. 
Where  children  buy  their  own  books, 
the  possession  of  the  dictionary  should 
be  urged.  Ownership  is  equally  desira- 
ble where  books  are  supplied  by  the  city 
or  town.  Nothing  can  take  the  place  of 
it.  The  dictionary  is  the  student's  com- 
monest tool. 

Having  dictionaries,  the  children 
should  be  taught  to  use  them.  Here 
they  are.  What  are  they  ?  What  do 
they  contain  ?  What  are  they  good 
for  ?  Of  what  use  can  they  be  to  you  ? 

A  study  of  the  book  reveals  to  us  that 
the  dictionary  tells  us  the  meaning  of  un- 
familiar words ;  it  may  therefore  help  to 
explain  to  us  what  we  read.  Or  it  gives 
us  many  meanings  of  words,  in  their 
various  uses,  thus  helping  us  to  choose 


232    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

the  fitting  one.  Again,  it  shows  us  the 
correct  spelling  and  pronunciation  of  the 
words  which  we  need  to  use  in  reading 
or  speaking;  while  in  our  later  study  it 
reveals  to  us  the  grammatical  uses  of 
words,  giving  good  authority  for  each 
use,  and  further  explains  the  derivation 
or  tells  the  history  of  the  word. 

Before  leaving  the  grammar  school, 
children  should  be  able  to  gather  all  this 
help  from  the  dictionary.  In  the  lower 
grades — fourth  and  fifth — the  lessons 
will  be  confined  to  the  study  of  the  dic- 
tionary as  a  means  of  learning  the  mean- 
ing, spelling,  and  correct  pronunciation 
of  the  selected  words. 

The  first  step  is  a  study  of  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  book  :  the  title,  introduc- 
tion, preface,  keys  to  pronunciation, 
rules  for  spelling ;  then  the  lists  of  words, 
arranged  in  alphabetical  order.  What 
does  that  mean  ?  Who  knows  the  mean- 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     233 

ing  of  the  order  of  the  letters  of  the  al- 
phabet ?  Test  the  class  to  discover  this. 
Often  the  first  lack  appears  here.  By 
rapid  recitation  both  forward  and  back- 
ward, and  varied  questions,  make  this 
knowledge  available  here.  '  Does  S 
come  before  or  after  M,  U,  G,  Q,  W  ? 
In  which  half  of  the  alphabet  shall  I  find 
X,  L,  F,  T  ?  etc.  I  am  turning  the  leaves 
of  the  dictionary  to  find  the  word 'Trav- 
el.' I  open  to  a  page  of  words  begin- 
ning with  M.  Shall  I  turn  forward  or 
backward  ?  "  By  such  tests  oft  repeated, 
dictionary  in  hand,  the  children  accus- 
tom themselves  to  the  alphabetical  order. 
Do  not  forget  that  it  must  be  taught. 
It  is  not  discovered  by  intuition. 

After  tracing  the  word  to  its  letter,  it 
remains  to  be  found  upon  the  page — a 
more  difficult  study  of  alphabetical  ar- 
rangement. The  child  who  attempts  to 
find  the  word  "  Travel  "  finds  the  Ta's, 


234    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

but,  with  his  limited  knowledge,  stays 
to  rest  his  eyes  upon  Table,  Tack,  Tall, 
Tank,  etc.,  in  his  likely-to-be-vain 
search.  Now  he  must  study  with  his 
teacher  the  fuller  detail  of  alphabetical 
order.  The  word  to  be  found  begins 
with  Tr.  Let  him  leave  Ta,  Te,  Ti  to 
find  Tr,  and  then  must  he  follow  on 
with  his  finger  to  Trav;  and  now  slowly 
through  this  column  to  the  appointed 
word. 

The  order  being  thus  made  clear,  a 
double  practice  should  be  given,  to  fix 
it  in  his  mind:  first,  finding  chosen 
words  in  the  dictionary  in  the  quickest 
possible  time;  second,  making  lists  of 
words  in  alphabetical  order. 

These  lessons  may  seem  superfluously 
simple  and  mechanical,  but  it  is  due  to 
the  omission  of  such  teaching  that  so 
many  hours  are  wasted  in  the  blind 
search  after  the  contents  of  books,  and 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     235 

that  so  many  dictionaries  are  fresh- 
edged,  unused. 

Thus  far  the  pupil  has  simply  found 
the  way  to  his  word.  Now  he  must 
learn  to  read  what  the  dictionary  tells 
him  about  it.  Here  further  knowledge 
is  required. 

He  finds  the  word  so  divided  and 
marked  as  to  enable  him  to  pronounce 
it  correctly,  if  he  knows  enough.  But 
first  he  must  know  how  to  pronounce 
the  syllables  into  which  it  is  divided, 
and  to  translate  the  marks  used  for  his 
benefit.  Syllabification  and  diacritical 
marks  constitute  the  subject  of  the  next 
series  of  lessons. 

The  first  is  not  so  minor  a  matter  as 
it  may  seem  at  first  sight.  Proper  divi- 
sion into  syllables  is  necessary  to  proper 
pronunciation  of  syllables,  and  a  cor- 
rect naming  of  the  consecutive  syllables 
means  correct  pronunciation  of  the  word. 


236    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

The  children's  trick,  which  often  con- 
founds the  scholar,  proves  this.  "  Pro- 
nounce ba-cka-che,"  they  demand,  dic- 
tating the  syllables  as  written.  After 
sufficiently  enjoying  the  scholar's  dis- 
comfiture, they  pronounce  the  common 
word,  backache.  It  is  no  more  than 
fair  to  give  him  a  taste  of  their  daily 
vicissitudes.  All  teachers  know  how 
children  are  daily  lost  in  the  mazes  of 
syllabification.  It  would  be  well  to 
avert  this  evil,  and  lead  to  a  more  help- 
ful reading  of  the  dictionary,  by  giving 
lessons  whose  object  is  the  mastery  of 
syllables.  Separating  familiar  words 
into  their  syllables  and  pronouncing  by 
syllable  at  sight  are  excellent  exercises, 
and  they  may  well  displace  some  of  the 
formal  and  mechanical  study  of  never- 
to-be-used  lists  of  words. 

Many  words  are  mastered  for  all  time 
as  soon  as  the  art  of  syllabification  is 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     237 

learned.     For  others  there  remains,  how- 
ever, the  need  of  the  diacritical  marks. 

As  teachers  know  (but  as  children  sel- 
dom discover),  those  marks  exist  simply 
as  aids  to  pronunciation.  They  vary,  in 
different  dictionaries.  It  is,  therefore, 
necessary  that  children  should  study  the 
key  to  pronunciation  in  the  dictionary 
which  they  use.  As  an  aid  to  their 
memories,  an  epitome  of  this  key  is 
printed  at  the  bottom  of  every  page, 
that  he  who  runs  may  read.  If  the 
mark  is  not  recognized,  a  glance  shows 
them  the  value  of  the  same  marked 
vowel  in  a  familiar  word.  The  sound 
of  the  unfamiliar  word  is  made  plain  to 
them  if  they  have  learned  to  read  the 
dictionary.  Drill  in  pronouncing  col- 
umns of  the  words  found  in  the  diction- 
ary, is  an  aid  to  the  rapid  acquirement 
of  power  to  translate  these  equivalents, 
while,  until  this  power  is  won,  the  pu- 


238    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

pil  may  be  helped  by  marking  familiar 
words  in  accordance  with  the  key. 

The  mastery  of  the  alphabetical  ar- 
rangement and  syllabification  and  pro- 
nunciation being  assured,  there  remains 
the  study  of  the  grouped  meanings  and 
the  derivation,  with  attention  to  gram- 
matical use.  As  soon  as  the  pupil  knows 
the  parts  of  speech,  the  various  uses  of 
words  are  made  plain  to  him,  and  he  in- 
telligently follows  the  dictionary  column 
which  exhibits  a  word  as  noun,  verb,  ad- 
jective, or  adverb.  If  his  object  is  to 
discover  the  verb  meaning,  he  passes  the 
others.  If  the  earlier  and  perhaps  obso- 
lete meanings  do  not  apply,  he  reads  on 
until  the  fitting  definition  is  reached.  If 
the  definition  itself  is  not  plain  to  him, 
he  "  looks  up  "  the  unfamiliar  words  con- 
tained in  it.  But  he  keeps  at  work  until 
he  has  made  himself  master  of  the  word 
for  whose  meaning  he  sought.  Quota- 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     239 

tions  showing  standard  use  are  read  and 
considered.  The  paragraph  or  sentence 
containing  the  new  word  is  re-read,  illu- 
mined by  the  new  meaning. 

Such  a  lesson  has  in  it  the  virtue  of 
a  language  lesson.  The  new  word,  with 
its  precious  cargo,  has  become  the  child's 
possession,  and  he  can  send  it  voyaging 
to  ports  he  desires  to  reach  with  his 
thought.  Further,  through  such  exer- 
cises, he  learns  to  master  books. 

The  more  mature  student  will  care- 
fully con  the  root-meaning,  and  follow 
the  word  through  its  devious  history. 
That  work,  in  its  detail,  must  wait  for 
the  higher  grades  and  the  college.  But 
with  such  thoroughness  as  has  been  out- 
lined, the  grammar  grade  pupil  may 
make  the  dictionary  his  strong  ally  and 
unfailing  friend.  It  behooves  us  to  teach 
him  the  art. 

Books  of   reference   should   be  made 


240    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

available  to  the  pupils,  as  is  the  diction- 
ary, by  lessons  which  show  their  use. 
The  Atlas,  the  Cyclopedia,  the  Compen- 
dium, should  be  explained,  and  oppor- 
tunities for  their  use  should  be  created. 
So  all  minor  books — grammars,  histories, 
geographies — should  be  consulted  by  the 
children,  and  compared  with  their  own. 
In  such  consultation  the  index  or  table 
of  contents  should  serve  its  purpose. 
The  pupil  should  not  be  allowed  to 
search  the  book  from  cover  to  cover  for 
his  bit  of  information,  but  should  be 
taught  to  look  for  it,  by  the  help  of  the 
index,  in  its  proper  place,  just  as  he 
learned  to  find  the  word  on  the  page  of 
a  dictionary.  Through  such  study,  chil- 
dren may  develop  the  habit  of  turning 
to  books  for  information  and  enlighten- 
ment. They  will  know  how  to  seek 
and  find.  We  cannot  overestimate 
easily  the  value  of  such  a  habit  and  its 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     241 

accompanying  tendencies  in  their  after 
life. 

We  have  spoken  thus  far  of  the  child's 
use  of  single  books  under  the  direction 
of  the  teacher.  A  few  words  further  in 
regard  to  the  school  library,  which 
should  be  an  introduction  to  the  Public 
Library. 

In  these  days  many  schools  are  pro- 
vided with  the  nucleus  of  a  library. 
Every  school  should  have  one.  A  few 
shelves  of  books,  well  chosen  and  well 
used — these  are  next  in  importance  to  the 
teacher  in  the  equipment  of  a  school. 
By  properly  using  such  books,  the  chil. 
dren  learn  how  to  choose  and  to  use 
their  own  books  when  they  get  them, 
and  meanwhile  how  best  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  Public  Library. 

In  order  to  afford  enough  practice  in 
finding  what  is  in  the  books  which  are 

within  reach,  the  teacher  should  assign 
16 


242    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

to  the  pupils  work  which  will  necessi- 
tate the  use  of  these  books.  The  read- 
ing lesson  speaks  of  the  cultivation  of 
cotton.  Ask  John  or  Joseph  to  learn 
whether  any  book  in  the  library  throws 
light  on  the  cultivation  or  manufacture 
of  cotton.  The  boy  first  makes  up 
his  mind  what  books  will  be  likely  to 
contain  this  information,  and  then,  by 
use  of  the  indexes  in  the  chosen  books, 
discovers  his  item,  which  he  brings  as 
his  contribution  to  the  class.  What  he 
learns  about  cotton  is  of  far  less  value  to 
him  than  what  he  gains  through  search- 
ing for  the  item.  Again,  the  history  les- 
son treats  of  the  war  for  independence. 
The  teacher,  instead  of  confining  the 
pupils  to  memorizing  the  work  on  the 
pages  of  the  school  history,  sends  them 
to  the  bookshelves  to  consult  the  English 
histories  which  shall  tell  the  children 
something  of  George  III.  and  the  Eng- 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     243 

lish  statesmen  of  his  time.  By  and  by 
they  have  gained  not  only  some  facility 
in  the  use  of  books,  but  the  knowledge 
that  some  books  are  of  greater  use  than 
others  in  the  lines  of  their  study. 

It  is  but  a  step,  now,  from  the  school 
library  to  the  Public  Library,  and  this 
step  should  be  taken  when  the  children 
feel  the  limitations  of  their  bookshelves. 
Their  quest  must  take  its  beginning  in 
their  need ;  not  in  the  teacher's  advice, 
but  in  their  inclination.  John  cannot 
find  in  any  book  in  the  school  library 
what  he  wants  to  know  about  William 
Pitt.  Very  well.  Does  he  know  any 
book  that  would  give  him  the  desired 
information  ?  There  may  be  books  at 
the  library,  he  volunteers.  Ah,  yes. 
How  can  he  find  out  ?  By  going  there. 
Susan  suggests  that  the  library  cata- 
logue will  tell  him  whether  he  can  find 
there  just  what  he  wishes.  And  now 


244    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

the  school  comes  into  possession  of  the 
catalogue  of  the  Free  Public  Library  of 
the  town — owns  it  because  the  children 
need  to  use  it.  John  finds  in  the  cata- 
logue the  names  of  the  books  which  he 
thinks  may  contain  the  object  of  his 
search.  Here  the  teacher  helps  him  by 
pointing  out,  from  her  fuller  knowledge, 
the  books  which  will  be  simple  enough 
to  be  of  service  to  him.  Or  the  custo- 
dian of  the  library  lends  a  hand,  and 
names  the  books  which  will  be  most 
helpful. 

We  may  readily  see  that  here  begin? 
another  series  of  lessons  which,  unfor- 
tunately, rarely  makes  its  appearance. 
Inside  the  library  door,  the  youthful 
seeker  after  light  struggles  to  get  the 
book  which  he  desires.  He  must  learn 
the  machinery  of  the  library,  and  some- 
body must  teach  him.  If  the  teacher 
knows  the  librarian  and  the  librarian 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     245 

knows  the  teacher,  and  both  are  inter- 
ested in  the  boy,  we  have  a  happy  state 
of  affairs.  His  card  is  filled  out  for  him 
and  properly  signed.  He  is  now  allowed 
to  take  books  for  himself.  He  must  be 
told  where  to  get  them  and  how  to  get 
them;  what  to  do  with  them  when  he 
gets  them ;  what  to  do  if  he  cannot  get 
them ;  how,  and  when,  and  where  to  re- 
turn them ;  what  privileges  he  may  have 
in  the  use  of  them.  Well  for  the  boy  if 
his  two  friends  and  co-laborers  make  it 
worth  while  for  him  to  use  the  library  in 
these  early  days !  Ah,  who  shall  tell  us 
how  to  correctly  mark  in  per  cents  the 
value  of  this  boy's  acquisition,  or  the 
worth  of  the  teacher's  instruction  ? 

In  many  of  our  cities,  this  cooperation 
of  the  library  and  the  school  exists,  and 
proves  its  usefulness.  Teachers  are  sup- 
plied with  teachers'  cards,  allowing  them 
to  take  six  books  at  a  time  and  retain 


246    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

them  for  a  long  time.  Classes  are  sup- 
plied with  books.  Boxes  of  books  are 
carried  from  school  to  school.  Dupli- 
cates of  much-desired  books  are  secured 
from  the  librarian.  Children  are  taken 
to  the  library  by  the  teacher,  and  the 
classes  study  on  the  spot  the  operation 
of  the  system,  and  familiarize  themselves 
with  its  plan  of  action.  Children  are 
sent  from  school  to  consult  reference 
books,  to  study  the  collections  of  photo- 
graphs, or  the  mural  decorations  in  the 
building.  The  Boston  Public  Library 
affords  an  example,  not  only  of  stateli- 
ness  of  building  and  beauty  of  decora- 
tion, but  of  efficiency  of  the  system  by 
which  its  recent  librarian,  Mr.  Herbert  L. 
Putnam,  did  much  to  bring  the  library 
within  the  reach  of  the  school-children 
throughout  the  city. 

If  we  rightly  estimate  the  value  of  this 
tendency  to  read  and  this  love  of  books, 


The  Use  of  the  Library.     247 

we  shall  be  willing  to  subordinate  some 
of  the  formerly  accepted  work  of  the 
schools  to  this  essential  tuition.  Shall 
we  continue  to  spend  money  for  our 
public  libraries  ?  If  so,  let  us  insure  the 
return  of  our  investment  a  hundredfold, 
by  fitting  our  children  to  make  use  of 
the  privileges  which  are  thus  afforded 
them,  and  teaching  them  to  know  the 
best  books. 


[In  response  to  the  requests  made  by  many 
different  teachers,  I  have  prepared  a  list  of 
books,  stories,  and  poems  which  are  suitable 
for  reading  or  reciting  to  children.  In  all 
cases  the  selections  have  been  tested  with 
numbers  of  children,  often  with  numbers  of 
classes,  and  the  list  represents  the  thoughtful 
experience  of  many  and  different  teachers. 
In  choosing,  however,  the  teacher  must  be 
guided  by  her  knowledge  of  her  own  chil- 
dren. It  is  unwise  to  accept  without  ques- 
tion the  judgment  of  another,  who  may  teach 
under  conditions  very  different  from  those 
which  exist  in  the  class  of  the  seeker.  Refer- 
ence to  the  list  may,  however,  prevent  fruit- 
less excursions  to  the  library  for  unnecessary 
reading  of  the  books  which  would  be  read 
only  to  be  discarded.  It  will  be  safe  to  make 
selections  from  the  list  for  any  class  in  the 
public  schools. — S.  L.  A.] 


Give  me  leave 

7"  enjoy  myself;  that  place  that  does  contain 
My  books,  the  best  companions,  is  to  me 
A  glorious  court,  where  hourly  I  converse 
With  the  old  sages  and  philosophers  ; 
And  sometimes,  for  variety ,  I  confer 
With  kings  and  emperors,  and  weigh  their 

counsels; 

Calling  their  victories,  if  unjustly  got. 
Unto  a  strict  account,  and,  in  my  fancy, 
Deface  their  ill-placed  statues.     Can  I  then 
Part  with  such  constant  pleasures  to  embrace 
Uncertain  vanities  ?  No;  be  it  your  care 
T'  augment  your  heap  of  wealth  ;  it  shall  be 

mine 
7"  increase  in  knowledge. 

— BEAUMONT  6r*  FLETCHER. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

A   LIST   OF   BOOKS 

Which    Have    been    Tested    and   Found 
Helpful  in  the  School-room. 

{Alphabetically  arranged.) 

GENERAL   READING. 

ALICE  in  Wonderland.     Lewis  Car- 
roll. 

Among   the    Isles   of   Shoals.      Celia 
Thaxter. 

Architects   of    Fate.      Orison    Swett 
Harden. 

At   the    Back   of    the    North    Wind. 
George  Macdonald. 


252    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Aunt  Martha's  Corner  Cupboard.  M. 
and  E.  Kirby. 

Being  a  Boy.  Charles  Dudley  War- 
ner. 

Betty  Leicester.     Sarah  Orne  Jewett. 

Bird's  Christmas  Carol,  The.  Kate 
Douglas  Wiggin. 

Bits  of  Talk.     Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 

Bits  of  Travel.     Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 

Black  Beauty.     Anna  Sewall. 

Boy's  Froissart.     Sidney  Lanier. 

Boy's  Percy.     Sidney  Lanier. 

Braided  Straws.    Elizabeth  E.  Foulke. 

Child  Life  in  Prose.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Child's  World,  In  the.  Emilie  Pouls- 
son. 

Christmas  Carol.     Charles  Dickens. 

Court  of  King  Arthur,  The.  W.  H. 
Frost. 

Cricket  on  the  Hearth,  The.  Charles 
Dickens. 


A  List  of  Books.  253 

Daffydowndilly.        Nathaniel      Haw- 
thorne. 

Easy  Steps  for  Little  Feet.     Swinton 
and  Cathcart. 

Eight  Cousins.     Louisa  M.  Alcott. 

Fifty  Famous  Stories  Retold.     James 
Baldwin. 

Five  Little  Peppers.    Margaret  Sidney. 

Four      Macnichols,     The.       William 
Black. 

Golden    Book     of     Choice    Reading. 
Swinton  and  Cathcart. 

Great  Stone  Face.     Nathaniel  Haw. 
thorne. 

Gulliver's  Travels.     Jonathan  Swift. 

Heart  of  Oak,  Books  I. -VI.     Charles 
Eliot  Norton. 

How  Success  is  Won.  Sarah  K.  Bolton. 

Hunt    for   the  Captain,  The.     Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes. 

Hunting  of  the  Deer,  The.     Charles 
Dudley  Warner. 


254    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

In  His  Name.     Edward  Everett  Hale. 

In  the  Child's  World.  Emilie  Poulsson. 

Jackanapes.     Juliana  Horatia  Ewing. 

Jan  of  the  Windmill.  Juliana  Horatia 
Ewing. 

Jungle  Book.     Rudyard  Kipling. 

Jungle  Book,  Second.  Rudyard  Kip- 
ling. 

Kindergarten  Stories.    Sara  E.  Wiltse. 

King  of  the  Golden  River,  The. 
John  Ruskin. 

Last  of  the  Mohicans,  The.  James 
Fenimore  Cooper. 

Letters  from  a  Cat.  Helen  Hunt 
Jackson. 

Life  and  Letters  of  Louisa  M.  Alcott. 

Life  of  the  Cary  Sisters,  The.  Mary 
Clemmer  Ames. 

Little  Lame  Prince,  The.  Dinah 
Maria  Mulock. 

Little  Lord  Fauntleroy.  Frances 
Hodgson  Burnett. 


A  List  of  Books.  255 

Little  Men.     Louisa  M.  Alcott. 

Little  Women.     Louisa  M.  Alcott. 

Little  Saint  Elizabeth.  Frances  Hodg- 
son Burnett. 

Lob-Lie-By-The-Fire.  Juliana  Hora- 
tia  Ewing. 

Lorna  Doone.     R.  D.  Blackmore. 

Melchior's  Dream.  Juliana  Horatia 
Ewing. 

Modern  Vikings,  The.    H.  H.  Boyeson. 

Mopsa  the  Fairy.     Jean  Ingelow. 

Bre'r  Rabbit.     Joel  Chandler  Harris. 

Nellie's  Silver  Mine.  Helen  Hunt 
Jackson. 

Old-Fashioned  Girl,  The.  Louisa  M. 
Alcott. 

Old  Stories  of  the  East.  James  Bald- 
win. 

Pilgrim's  Progress.     John  Bunyan. 

Play  Days.     Sarah  Orne  Jewett. 

Polly  Oliver's  Problem.  Kate  Doug- 
las Wiggin. 


256    Reading :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Rab  and  His  Friends.    Thomas  Brown. 

Rainbows  for  Children.     Lydia  Maria 
Child. 

Robinson  Crusoe.     Daniel  Defoe. 

Rollo  Books.     Jacob  Abbott. 

Rose  in  Bloom,  The.     Louisa  M.  Al- 
cott. 

Rules  of  Conduct.     George  Washing, 
ton. 

Silas  Marner.     George  Eliot. 

Six    to    Sixteen.       Juliana    Horatia 
Ewing. 

Spy,  The.     James  Fenimore  Cooper. 

Stories  for  Children.    Edward  Everett 
Hale. 

Stories  from  Plato.     Mary  E.  Burt. 

Stories  Told  to  Children.     Jean  Inge 
low. 

Story  Hour,  The.     Kate  Douglas  Wig- 
gin. 

Story  of   a  Bad  Boy,  The.     Thomas 

Bailey  Aldrich. 

t 


A  List  of  Books.  257 

Story  of  the  Golden  Age,  A.  James 
Baldwin. 

Story  of  Roland,  The.   James  Baldwin. 

Story  of  a  Short  Life,  The.  Juliana 
Horatia  Ewing. 

Swiss  Family  Robinson.  Johann 
Weiss. 

Tales  from  Shakespeare.  Charles 
Lamb. 

Tales  from  Shakespeare.  Charles 
Morris. 

Tales  of  the  Alhambra.  Washington 
Irving. 

Three  of  Us.     Joel  Chandler  Harris. 

Timothy's  Quest.  Kate  Douglas  Wig- 
gin. 

Tom  Brown's  Schooldays.  Thomas 
Hughes. 

Twilight  Stories.  Elizabeth  E.  Foulke. 

Two  Little  Pilgrims'  Progress.  Fran- 
ces Hodgson  Burnett. 

Under  the  Lilacs.     Louisa  M.  Alcott. 
17 


258    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Undine.     Baron  Fouqui. 
Water  Babies.     Charles  Kingsley. 
We  and  the  World.     Juliana  Horatia 
Ewing. 

We  Girls.     Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  Whitney. 
What  Katy  Did.     Susan  Coolidge. 


NATURE  STUDY. 

Animals,  Wild  and  Tame.  Anna  C. 
Davis. 

Bird  Ways.     Olive  Thorne  Miller. 

Bird  World.     Stickney  and  Hoffman. 

Birds  and  Bees.     John  Burroughs. 

Birds  Through  an  Opera  Glass.  Flor- 
ence Merriam. 

Citizen  Bird.     Mabel  Osgood  Wright. 

Eye-Spy.  William  Hamilton  Gib- 
son. 

Fairyland  of  Flowers.     Mara  L.  Pratt. 

Fairyland  of  Science.  Arabella  Buck- 
ley. 


A  List  of  Books.  259 

Few  Familiar  Flowers,  A.  Margaret 
Morley. 

Four-Handed  Folk.  Olive  Thorne 
Miller. 

From  Flower  to  Fruit.  Jane  H. 
Newell. 

From  Seed  to  Leaf.     Jane  H.  Newell. 

In  Nesting  Time.  Olive  Thorne  Mil- 
ler. 

Life  and  Her  Children.  Arabella 
Buckley. 

Little  Flower  Folks.     Mara  L.  Pratt. 

Little  Folks  in  Feathers  and  Fur. 
Olive  Thorne  Miller. 

Madam  How  and  Lady  Why.  Ara- 
bella Buckley. 

My  Saturday  Bird  Class.  Olive  Thorne 
Miller. 

My  Summer  in  a  Garden.  Charles 
Dudley  Warner. 

Pacific  Nature  Stories.   Harr  Wagner. 

Pepacton.     John  Burroughs. 


260    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Plant  World.     Frank  Vincent. 

Rambler's  Lease,  A.    Bradford Torrey. 

Seaside  and  Wayside.     Jane  Andrews. 

Sharp  Eyes.  William  Hamilton  Gib- 
son. 

Sharp  Eyes.     John  Burroughs. 

Short  Stories  of  Our  Shy  Neighbors. 
Mrs.  M.  A.  B.  Kelly. 

Song  of  Life.     Margaret  Morley. 

Stories  Mother  Nature  Told  Her  Chil- 
dren. Jane  Andrews. 

Story  of  the  Birds,  The.  James  N. 
Baskett. 

Succession  of  Forest  Trees.  Henry- 
David  Thoreau. 

Through  Magic  Glasses.  Arabella 
Buckley. 

Toilers  of  the  Sea.     Victor  Hugo. 

Wake  Robin.     John  Burroughs. 

Walden.     Henry  David  Thoreau. 

Winners  in  Life's  Race.  Arabella 
Buckley. 


A  List  of  Books.  261 


POETRY. 

Blue  Poetry  Book.     Andrew  Lang. 

Child  Life  in  Poetry.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Child's  Garden  of  Verse.  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson. 

Children's  Treasury  of  English  Song. 
Francis  Palgrave. 

Courtship  of  Miles  Standish.  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

Eugene  Field  Book.     Mary  E.  Burt. 

Evangeline.  Henry  Wadsworth  Long- 
fellow. 

Grandmother's  Story  of  Bunker  Hill. 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 

Hiawatha.  Henry  Wadsworth  Long* 
fellow. 

Homer's  Iliad. 

Homer's  Odyssey. 

Lady  of  the  Lake.     Walter  Scott. 


262    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

Lays  of  Ancient  Rome.  Thomas  Bab- 
ington  Macaulay. 

Nature  in  Verse.  Mary  I.  Love- 
joy. 

Poems  for  Children.     Celia  Thaxter. 

Poems  of  American  Patriotism.  Bran- 
der  Matthews. 

Poetry  for  Children.     Samuel  Eliot. 

Poetry  for  Home  and  School.  Anna 
C.  Brackett  and  Ida  M.  Eliot. 

Poetry  of  the  Seasons.  Mary  I.  Love- 
joy. 

School  Speaker.  Harper's.  (Selec- 
tions for  Arbor  Day  and  Decoration 
Day.) 

Snow-Bound.  John  Greenleaf  Whit- 
tier. 

Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn.  Henry  Wads- 
worth  Longfellow. 

Vision  of  Sir  Launfal,  The.  James 
Russell  Lowell. 


A  List  of  Books.  263 


MYTHS,  FABLES,  FAIRY  TALES. 

Adventures  of  a  Brownie.  Dinah 
Maria  Mulock. 

Adventures  of  Ulysses.  Charles  Lamb. 

JEsop's  Fables. 

Age  of  Fable.     Thomas  Bulfinch. 

Blue  Fairy  Book.     Andrew  Lang. 

Bulfinch's  Mythology.  Thomas  Bul- 
finch. 

Cinderella. 

Classic  Myths.     Charles  Mills  Gayley. 

Fables  and  Folk  Stories.  Horace  E. 
Scudder. 

Fables  and  Rhymes  for  Beginners. 
John  G.  and  Thomas  E.  Thompson. 

Fairy  Tale  and  Fable.  John  G.  and 
Thomas  E.  Thompson. 

Fairy  Tales.     Charles  De  Garmo. 

Fairy  Tales.     Grimm. 

Fairy  Tales.    Hans  Christian  Andersen. 


264    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

Gods  and  Heroes.     Francillon. 

Greek  Heroes.     Charles  Kingsley. 

In  Mythland.     Helen  Beckwith. 

Jack  and  the  Beanstalk. 

Little  Red  Riding  Hood.  Andrew 
Lang. 

Myths  of  Northern  Lands.  H.  A. 
Guerber. 

Old-Fashioned  Fairy  Book.  Eliza- 
beth Harrison. 

Old  Greek  Stories.     James  Baldwin. 

Stories  of  the  Old  World.  Alfred 
Church. 

Stories  of  the  Golden  Age. 

Story  of  Siegfried.     James  Baldwin. 

Story  of  the  Niebelungen  Lied.  Mary 
E.  Burt. 

Story  of  Ulysses.     Mary  E.  Burt. 

Tales  of  Troy.     Charles  De  Garmo. 

Tanglewood  Tales.  Nathaniel  Haw- 
thorne. 

Wonder  Book.    Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 


A  List  of  Books.  265 


GEOGRAPHY. 

Adrift  in  the  Ice  Fields.   Captain  Hall. 

Around  the  World  in  the  Yacht  Sun- 
beam. Lady  Brassey. 

Boy  Travellers.     Knox. 

Brook  and  Brook  Basins.  Alexander 
Frye. 

Children  of  the  Cold.  Lieutenant 
Schwatka. 

Coal  and  Coal  Mines.     Homer  Green. 

Each  and  All.     Jane  Andrews. 

Family  Flights.  Edward  Everett  Hale. 

Feats  on  the  Fiord.  Harriet  Mar- 
tineau. 

From  Ponkapog  to  Pesth.  Thomas 
Bailey  Aldrich. 

In  Brook  and  Bayou.  Clara  Kern 
Bayliss. 

Java,  the  Pearl  of  the  East.  Mrs.  S. 
J.  Higginson. 


266    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Little  Lucy's  Wonderful  Globe.  Char- 
lotte  M.  Yonge. 

Little  People  of  Asia.     Miller. 

Seven  Little  Sisters.     Jane  Andrews. 

Stories  of  Other  Lands.  James  Johon- 
not. 

Under  Six  Flags.     M.  E.  Davis. 

Under  the  Southern  Cross.  Edward 
Ballou. 

Views  Afoot.     Bayard  Taylor. 

World  and  Its  People,  The.  Books 
I. -IX.  Larkin  Dunton. 

World  by  the  Fireside,  The.  Mary 
and  Elizabeth  Kirby. 

Zigzag  Journeys.  Hezekiah  Butter- 
worth. 

HISTORY. 

American  Historical  Tales.  Charles 
Morris. 

Autobiography  of  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin. 


A  List  of  Books.  267 

Book  of  American  Explorers.  Thomas 
Wentworth  Higginson. 

Boyhood  of  Lincoln,  The.  Hezekiah 
Butterworth. 

Boys  of  '61.     Charles  Carleton  Coffin. 

Boys  of  '76.     Charles  Carleton  Coffin. 

Boys  Who  Became  Famous.  Sarah 
K.  Bolton. 

Building  of  the  Nation.  Charles  Carle- 
ton  Coffin. 

Colonial  Massachusetts :  Stories  of  the 
Old  Bay  State.  Mrs.  S.  E.  Dawes. 

Drumbeats  of  the  Nation.  Charles 
Carleton  Coffin. 

England,  Young  Folks'  History  of. 
Charlotte  M.  Yonge. 

English  Historical  Tales.  Charles 
Morris. 

First  Steps  in  the  History  of  our 
Country.  W.  A.  and  A.  M.  Mowry. 

France,  Young  Folks'  History  of. 
Charlotte  M.  Yonge. 


268    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

George  Washington.    Horace  Scudder. 

German    Historical    Tales.       Charles 
Morris. 

Girls  Who   Became  Famous.      Sarah 
K.  Bolton. 

Greece,    Young    Folks'     History    of. 
Charlotte  M.  Yonge. 

Greek  Home  Life.     Mary  E.  Burt. 

Heroes   of   History.      George    Make- 
peace Towle. 

Heroic  Deeds.     James  Johonnot. 

Historic  Boys.     Elbridge  S.  Brooks. 

Historic  Girls.     Elbridge  S.  Brooks. 

Historic  Pilgrimages  in  New  England. 
Edwin  M.  Bacon. 

Historical  Readers.    Longmans'  Ship. 

Historical  Tales: 
American, 
German, 
Greek, 
Roman.     Charles  Morris. 

History  Readers.    Mrs.  W.  W.  Wilson. 


A  List  of  Books.  269 

History  of  the  United  States.  Thomas 
Wentworth  Higginson. 

Joan  of  Arc.     Mary  E.  Burt. 

Legends  of  Charlemagne.  Mary  E. 
Burt. 

Madam  Roland.     Mary  E.  Burt. 

Making  of  New  England,  The.  Samuel 
Adams  Drake. 

Man  Without  a  Country,  A.  Edward 
Everett  Hale. 

Old  Times  in  the  Colonies.  Charles 
Carleton  Coffin. 

Plutarch  for  Boys  and  Girls. 

Prince  and  Pauper.  Thomas  Clemens 
(Mark  Twain). 

Rescue  of  Cuba,  The.  Andrew  S. 
Draper. 

Standish  of  Standish.     Jane  Austin. 

Stories  from  Herodotus.  Alfred  J. 
Church. 

Stories  of  Great  Americans  for  Little 
Americans.  Edward  Eggleston. 


270   Reading:  How  to  Teach  It 

Stories  of  our  Country.   James  Johon- 
not. 

Stories  of  the  Red  Children.     Doro- 
thy Brooks. 

Stories  from  English  History.     Grace 
Aguilar. 

Story   of   Liberty.     Charles   Carleton 
Coffin. 

Ten   Boys  on  the    Road    from  Long 
Ago  to  Now.     Jane  Andrews. 

War  for  Independence.     John  Fiske. 

Watchfires  of  '76.     Samuel  R.  Drake. 

Winning  His  Way.     Charles  Carleton 
Coffin. 

Young  Folks'  Histories: 
Greece, 
Rome, 
France, 
England.     Charlotte  M.  Yonge. 

Vasco  da  Gama.     George  Makepeace 
Towle. 


There  is  another  view  of  reading,  which, 
though  it  is  obvious  enough,  is  seldom  taken,  I 
imagine,  or  at  least  acted  upon;  and  that  is, 
that  in  the  course  of  our  reading  we  should  lay 
up  in  our  minds  a  store  of  goodly  thoughts  in 
well-wrought  words,  which  should  be  a  living 
treasure  of  knowledge  always  with  us,  and 
from  which,  at  various  times  and  amidst  all 
the  shifting  of  circumstances,  we  might  be 
sure  of  drawing  some  comfort,  guidance,  and 
sympathy.  .  .  .  A  man  whose  mind  is  en- 
riched with  the  best  sayings  of  his  own  country 
is  a  more  independent  man,  walks  the  streets 
in  a  town,  or  the  lanes  in  the  country,  with  far 
more  delight  than  he  would  otherwise,  and  is 
taught  by  wise  observers  of  man  and  nature  to 
observe  for  himself.  Sancho  Panza,  with  his 
Proverbs,  is  a  great  deal  better  than  he  would 
have  been  without  them;  and  I  contend  that  a 
man  has  something  in  himself  to  meet  troubles 
and  difficulties,  small  or  great,  who  has  stored 
in  his  mind  some  of  the  best  things  that  have 
been  said  about  troubles  and  difficulties. 

— SIR  ARTHUR  HELPS. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

A  LIST  OF  POEMS 
Suitable  for  Use  in  the  School-room. 

THE  list  is  intended  to  be  suggestive 
merely.  Nearly  all  the  poems  are 
well  known,  and  need  only  to  be  recalled 
to  the  mind  of  the  teacher.  They  can 
readily  be  found  at  any  good  library. 
Most  of  them  are  suitable  for  memoriz- 
ing. All  may  be  read  with  advantage 
to  the  children  in  most  grades. 

POEMS. 

Abou  Ben  Adhem.     Leigh  Hunt. 
Aladdin.     James  Russell  Lowell. 

18 


274   Reading :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Alexander  Selkirk.     William  Cowper. 

Ancient  Mariner,  The.  Samuel  Tay- 
lor Coleridge. 

April.     Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 

April  Day,  An.     Mrs.  Southey. 

Arnold  Von  Winkelried.  James  Mont- 
gomery. 

Autumn  Fashions.     Edith  Thomas. 

Bannockburn.     Robert  Burns. 

Barefoot  Boy,  The.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic.  Julia 
Ward  Howe. 

Better  Land,  The.   Felicia  D.  Hemans. 

Bingen  on  the  Rhine.  Caroline  Nor- 
ton. 

Blue  and  the  Gray,  The.  F.  M. 
Finch. 

Break,  Break,  Break!  Alfred  Tenny- 
son. 

Breathes  there  the  man,  etc.  Walter 
Scott. 


A  List  of  Poems.  275 

Brook,  The.     Alfred  Tennyson. 

Bugle  Song,  The.     Alfred  Tennyson. 

Builders,  The.  Henry  Wadsworth 
Longfellow. 

Burial  of  Moses, The.   Mrs.  Alexander. 

Burial  of  Sir  John  Moore.  Charles 
Wolfe. 

Captain's  Daughter,  The.  James  T. 
Fields. 

Casabianca.     Felicia  D.  Hemans. 

Centennial  Hymn.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Chambered  Nautilus.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes. 

Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade.  Alfred 
Tennyson. 

Cloud,  The.     Percy  Bysshe  Shelley. 

Commemoration  Ode.  James  Russell 
Lowell.  (Lines  on  Lincoln.) 

Courtship  of  Miles  Standish.  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

Daffodils.     William  Wordsworth. 


276    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Day  is  Done,  The.  Henry  Wads- 
worth  Longfellow. 

Death  of  the  Flowers.  William  Cullen 
Bryant. 

Destruction  of  Sennacherib,  The. 
George  Gordon,  Lord  Byron. 

Echo.     Jean  Ingelow. 

Elegy  Written  in  a  Country  Church- 
yard. Thomas  Gray. 

Emerson  (from  "  Fable  for  Critics"). 
James  Russell  Lowell. 

Eternal  Goodness.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Evangeline.  Henry  Wadsworth  Long- 
fellow. 

Eve  of  Waterloo,  The.  George  Gor- 
don, Lord  Byron. 

Excelsior.  Henry  Wadsworth  Long- 
fellow. 

Fable  for  Critics  (selections  on  Emer- 
son, Whittier,  Hawthorne,  Holmes). 
James  Russell  Lowell. 


A  List  of  Poems.  277 

February.     Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  Whitney. 

Fiftieth  Birthday  of  Agassiz,  The. 
Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

First  Psalm.     Bible. 

First  Snowfall,  The.  James  Russell 
Lowell. 

Flowers.  Henry  Wadsworth  Long- 
fellow. 

Forest  Hymn,  The.  William  Cullen 
Bryant. 

Forest  Song.     W.  H.  Venable. 

Forsaken  Merman,  The.  Robert 
Browning. 

Fringed  Gentian,  The.  William  Cul- 
len Bryant. 

Frost  Spirit,  The.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Ginevra.     Samuel  Rogers. 

Good  Great  Man,  The.  Samuel  Tay- 
lor Coleridge. 

Good  Little  Sister,  The.  Phoebe 
Gary. 


278    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

Good  Night  and  Good  Morning.  Lord 
Houghton. 

Goody  Blake  and  Harry  Gill.  William 
Wordsworth. 

Gray  Swan,  The.     Alice  Gary. 

Great,  Wide,  Beautiful  World.  Lilli- 
put  Lectures. 

Hawthorne  (in  "  Fable  for  Critics"). 
James  Russell  Lowell. 

Heritage,  The.    James  Russell  Lowell. 

Herv6  Riel.     Robert  Browning. 

Hiawatha.  Henry  Wadsworth  Long- 
fellow. 

High  Tide  on  the  Coast  of  Lincoln- 
shire. Jean  Ingelow. 

Hohenlinden.     Thomas  Campbell. 

Holmes  (in  "Fable  for  Critics"). 
James  Russell  Lowell. 

Horatius  at  the  Bridge.  Thomas  Bab- 
ington  Macaulay. 

How  the  Leaves  came  Down.  Susan 
Coolidge. 


A  List  of  Poems.  279 

How  They  Brought  the  Good  News 
from  Ghent  to  Aix.  Robert  Browning. 

Humblebee,  The.  Ralph  Waldo  Em- 
erson. 

If  I  can  Stop  one  Heart  from  Break- 
ing. Emily  Dickinson. 

Incident  of  the  French  Camp.  Robert 
Browning. 

In  School  Days.  John  Greenleaf  Whit- 
tier. 

I  Remember,  I  Remember.  Thomas 
Hood. 

Jack  Frost  Looked  Forth.  Jane  Gould. 

King's  Jewel,  The.     Phoebe  Gary. 

Ladder  of  St.  Augustine.  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

Landing  of  the  Pilgrims.  Felicia  D. 
Hemans. 

Last  Leaf,  The.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes. 

Last  Walk  in  Autumn,  The.  John 
Greenleaf  Whittier. 


280   Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Leak  in  the  Dike,  A.     Phoebe  Gary. 

Legend  of  St.  Christopher.  Helen 
Hunt  Jackson. 

Legend  of  the  Northland,  A.  Phoebe 
Gary. 

Lincoln  (in  "  Commemoration  Ode"). 
James  Russell  Lowell. 

Little  Bell.     Thomas  Westwood. 

Little  Gottlieb.     Phoebe  Gary. 

Little  Gustava.     Celia  Thaxter. 

Lochiel's  Warning.     Walter  Scott. 

Lochinvar.     Walter  Scott. 

Longing.     James  Russell  Lowell. 

Lost  Youth,  My.  Henry  Wadsworth 
Longfellow. 

Lucknow,  Defence  of.  Alfred  Tenny- 
son. 

Lucknow,  Pipes  of.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Lucknow,  Relief  of.     Robert  Lowell. 

Maidenhood.  Henry  Wadsworth 
Longfellow. 


A  List  of  Poems.  281 

Man's  a  Man,  A.     Robert  Burns. 

March.     Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 

March.     William  Wordsworth. 

Marco  Bozzaris.    Fitz-Greene  Halleck. 

May.     Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 

Morte  d'Arthur.     Alfred  Tennyson. 

Mountain  and  the  Squirrel, The.  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson. 

My  Triumph.  John  Greenleaf  Whit 
tier. 

Nest  Eggs.    Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

Night  and  Day.  Robert  Louis  Ste* 
venson. 

Oak,  The.     James  Russell  Lowell. 

Ocean,  The.  George  Gordon,  Lord 
Byron. 

Old  Clock  on  the  Stairs,  The.  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

Old  Ironsides.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 

Old  Tray.     Robert  Browning. 

One-Hoss  Shay,  The.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes. 


282    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

One,  Two,  Three.     Horatio  Bunner. 

Order  for  a  Picture,  An.      Alice  Gary. 

Our  Good  President.     Phoebe  Gary. 

Over  River  and  Through  Wood. 
Lydia  Maria  Child. 

Over  the  Hills  in  Palestine.  Harriet 
Prescott  Spofford. 

Owl  Critic,  The.     James  T.  Fields. 

Pictures  from  Appledore.  James  Rus- 
sell Lowell. 

Pied  Piper,  The.     Robert  Browning. 

Pipes  at  Lucknow.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Plant  a  Tree.     Lucy  Larcom. 

Planting  of  the  Apple  Tree,  The. 
William  Cullen  Bryant. 

Polonius  to  Laertes.  William  Shake- 
speare. 

Present  Crisis,  The.  James  Russell 
Lowell. 

Prisoner  of  Chillon,  The.  George  Gor- 
don, Lord  Byron. 


A  List  of  Poems.  283 

Psalm,  My.    John  Greenleaf  Whittier. 

Psalm,  Nineteenth.     Bible. 

Psalm,  Twenty-third.     Bible. 

Psalm,  Ninetieth.     Bible. 

Quality  of  Mercy  (Merchant  of  Venice). 
William  Shakespeare. 

Rabbis,  The  Two.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Ratisbon;  or,  An  Incident  of  the 
French  Camp.  Robert  Browning. 

Receiving  an  Eagle's  Quill  from  Lake 
Superior,  On.  John  Greenleaf  Whittier. 

Relief  of  Lucknow,  The.  Robert 
Lowell. 

Rhcecus.     James  Russell  Lowell. 

Rising  in  1776,  The.  Thomas  Bu- 
chanan Read. 

Robert  of  Lincoln.  William  Cullen 
Bryant. 

Sandpiper,  The.     Celia  Thaxter. 

Santa  Filomena.  Henry  Wadsworth 
Longfellow. 


284    Reading:  How  to  Teach  It. 

School  Days,  In.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

September  Hymn.  Helen  Hunt  Jack- 
son. 

Shepherd  of  King  Admetus,  The. 
James  Russell  Lowell. 

Sheridan's  Ride.  Thomas  Buchanan 
Read. 

Sing,  Little  Children,  Sing.  Celia 
Thaxter. 

Skeleton  in  Armor,  The.  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

Skipper  Ireson's  Ride.  John  Green- 
leaf  Whittier. 

Snow  Flakes.  Henry  Wadsworth 
Longfellow. 

Snow  Storm.    William  Cullen  Bryant. 

Snow  Storm.    Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

Song  of  Marion's  Men,  The.  William 
Cullen  Bryant. 

Song  of  the  Chattahoochee,  The.  Sid- 
ney Lanier. 


A  List  of  Poems.  285 

Song  of  the  Shirt,  The.  Thomas 
Hood. 

Songs  of  Seven.     Jean  Ingelow. 

Spacious  Firmament  on  High,  The. 
Joseph  Addison. 

Story  of  a  Blackbird,  The.  Alice 
Gary. 

Suthin'  in  a  Pastoral  Line  (from  "  Big- 
low  Papers").  James  Russell  Lowell. 

Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn.  Henry  Wads- 
worth  Longfellow. 

Talking  in  their  Sleep.  Edith  M. 
Thomas. 

Tempest,  The.     James  T.  Fields. 

Thanatopsis.    William  Cullen  Bryant. 

Three  Bells,  The.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

To-day.     Thomas  Carlyle. 

(The)  Train  from  out  the  castle  drew 
(from  "  Marmion  ").  Walter  Scott. 

Tray,  Old.     Robert  Browning. 

Tree,  The.     Bjornesterne  Bjornson. 


286    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It. 

Triumph,  My.  John  Greenleaf  Whit- 
tier. 

Twenty-third  Psalm.     Bible. 

Two  Rabbis,  The.  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier. 

Verses  by  Alexander  Selkirk.  William 
Cowper. 

Village  Blacksmith,  The.  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

Vision  of  Sir  Launfal,  The.  James 
Russell  Lowell. 

Visit  from  St.  Nicholas,  A.  Clement 
C.  Moore. 

Voice  of  Spring,  The.  Felicia  D.  He- 
mans. 

Waterloo,  The  Eve  of.  George  Gor- 
don, Lord  Byron. 

We  are  Seven.    William  Wordsworth. 

What  Constitutes  a  State  ?  Sir  Wil- 
liam Jones. 

Whittier  (lines  in  "  Fable  for  Crit- 
ics").  James  Russell  Lowell. 


A  List  of  Poems.  287 

Why  do  the  Bells  at  Christmas  Ring  ? 
Eugene  Field. 

Wind,  The.  Robert  Louis  Steven- 
son. 

Wind  in  a  Frolic,  The.  William 
Howitt. 

Wise  Fairy,  The.     Alice  Gary. 

Wizard  Frost.  Frank  Dempster  Sher- 
man. 

Wolsey  to  Cromwell.  William  Shake- 
speare. 

Woodman,  Spare  that  Tree !  George 
P.  Morris. 

W'ounded  Curlew,  The.  Celia  Thax- 
ter. 

Wreck  of  the  Hesperus,  The.  Henry 
Wadsworth  Longfellow. 

Year's  at  the  Spring,  The.  Robert 
Browning. 

Yellow  Violet.  William  Cullen  Bry- 
ant. 

Yussouf.     James  Russell  Lowell. 


288    Reading  :  How  to  Teach  It 

GOOD  COLLECTIONS  OF  POEMS. 

Bryant's  Library  of  Poetry. 

Emerson's  Parnassus. 

Whittier's  Songs  of  Three  Centuries. 

Whittier's  Child  Life  in  Poetry. 

Open  Sesame,  I.-III.  Blanche  Wilder 
Bellamy  and  Maud  Wilder  Goodwin. 

Poetry  for  Home  and  School.  Anna 
C.  Brackett  and  Ida  M.  Eliot. 

Ward's  English  Poets. 

The  Land  of  Song,  Books  I.-III. 
Katharine  M.  Shute  and  Larkin  Dun- 
ton,  LL.D. 


ii 


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